During the nineteenth century, British theatre developed into an industry with considerable importance in the economy, diversified by whole new forms of entertainment - first music hall then cinema - evolving alongside the dramatic stage. This comprehensive study examines the theatre's growth from an economic perspective. Tracy Davis reflects the debates of economic theorists from Adam Smith to Alfred Marshall to investigate three key areas: the state's role in protecting theatre; the factors affecting the success or failure of theatre companies; and how theatre came to be regarded as one of the 'service industries'. By grounding debates about subsidization and the economic viability of the live arts in an era predating government funding, Davis sheds light on the history of cultural policy for the arts in Britain. Her book will interest scholars across a range of disciplines - theatre, social history, economics, gender studies and the sociology of culture.
By:
Tracy C. Davis (Northwestern University Illinois)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 30mm
Weight: 786g
ISBN: 9780521036856
ISBN 10: 0521036852
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 21 June 2007
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of illustrations; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Note to readers; Introduction; Part I. Competition: Theatre and Laissez-Faire: 1. Monopoly and free trade: fair and unfair competition; 2. Property and the stakes of private interest; 3. Industrial regulation and safety; 4. Marginal economics, national interest and the half-naked woman; Part II. Ownership and Entrepreneurialism: 5. Opportunity, finance and failure; 6. Profit; 7. Business structures; 8. Gender, 'gentlemanly capitalism' and the wo-manager; Part III. Industrialization, Commodity Capitalism and Theatre Production Systems: 9. Labour and labourers; 10. Theatre as cultural capital; Appendix: 'To the public. Charles Kemble's mercies or the '999' increasing'; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
Reviews for The Economics of the British Stage 1800–1914
"""[A]n immensely accomplished work of theatre history."" Essays in Theatre ""Copious, precise, and palpable, Davis's scholarly labors--the scene of her writing--become the scrim through which to encounter the economic conditions in which British theatre was produced between the years 1800 and 1914."" Theatre Journal ""This book will appeal to historians of the theater and of media studies; its focus on the theater as an industry adds a new dimension. The author brings very useful statistics to illuminate the study of costs. The book will also make fascinating reading for social and cultural historians."" EH.NET"
