From theory to practice : The National Theatre of Scotland, 1999-2009

Robinson, Rebecca Charlotte (2009) From theory to practice : The National Theatre of Scotland, 1999-2009. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The National Theatre of Scotland is a unique, non building-based, commissioning and
producing cultural institution, established in the wake of the devolution of the Scottish
Parliament. This thesis explores how the NTS responded to its ‘national’ remit within
the context of both post devolution Scotland and an increasingly globalized world in
which the significance and boundaries of the ‘nation’ are often ambiguous and
contested. The public sphere in the United Kingdom has always held a tension
between the interweaving national identities of its four constituent nations. However,
the constitutional changes since 1999, have allowed the possibility for a more
distinctive public sphere to be defined in Scotland. This thesis examines how the NTS,
over a relatively short period of time, has played a role in helping to mark out and
define the nature of this new national public sphere and argues that the company was
particularly well placed to accommodate and reflect heterogeneous imagining’s of
identity and respond to contemporary expressions of belonging. However, the thesis
also charts changes to the company during these early years and, most significantly,
notes the potential effect that the change from arms length to direct government
funding might have on the company’s long-term development. The thesis argues that
direct funding aligns the arts too closely to political agendas rather than supporting
artistic freedom and expression. As such, rather than helping to mark out a
democratically representative and critical public sphere in Scotland, the NTS is in
danger of becoming entangled by competing conceptions and perceptions of
nationhood in Scotland.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• 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: Schlesinger, Prof. Philip and Heinrich, Dr. Anselm
• Date of Award: 2009
• Depositing User: Mrs Marie Cairney
• Unique ID: glathesis:2009-2915
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 07 Oct 2011
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 14:01
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/2915