Issues in theatrical management: Repertory theatres, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and the repercussions of arts administration

Iles, Paul (2001) Issues in theatrical management: Repertory theatres, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and the repercussions of arts administration. MLitt(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The thesis describes and evaluates this civic repertory theatre as a business enterprise and public institution. The study is structured in two parts. A two-chapter prolegomena places the company in its historical context from the 1890s, marshalling concepts of management and organisation for a non-profit theatre industry, including the interaction of mission, patronage, acting ensembles, artistic directors, boards of directors, play selection procedures, theatregoers, theatre buildings and competition. A stratification of the repertory system is discussed, focusing on the different sensibilities of non-profit and profit-seeking companies whilst identifying the similarity of their staffing structures and expenditure profiles in a presubsidy era. Part Two considers the progress of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company in the light of the organisational traditions of the repertory theatre system. After discussing the onset and rationales for municipal and state subsidy in Scotland, a narrative account is informed by the continuity of these experiences. Qualitative and quantitative techniques are applied to a financial analysis of the business, its repertoire and politics. A number of influences are explored, including the changing impact of the Scottish Arts Council and local government on company production, a push for expansion, and the variations of company structure. The study explains how the company was, for its first twenty years and like its predecessors, efficiently managed. It argues that when a decline in the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company's fortunes occurred, this was caused not only by internal inefficiencies but also external influences such as new obligations to the funding bodies and the emergence of a profession of arts administration. These factors conspired to overburden the company's artistic mission and accomplishments.

• Item Type: Thesis (MLitt(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Theater history, arts management, management.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Scullion, Dr. Adrienne
• Date of Award: 2001
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2001-73937
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• Last Modified: 16 Aug 2022 14:35
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.73937
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/73937