About the book.

A crisis between 1979 and 1997 saw over a quarter of Britain’s regional theatres closed down. Those that survived found themselves constantly on the brink, forced to radically reduce their programmes and go dark for extended periods of time. Bringing Down the House delves into how and why the crisis occurred, and examines its long-lasting effects on the English theatre industry revealing problems extending beyond the government’s scant regard for the arts, right back to World War II.

By probing into the history of regional theatres from the introduction of state funding after the war, Turnbull unearths a catalogue of re-occurring problems that ensured the fabric of British theatre was historically fragile. Between the foundation of the Arts Council in 1945 and the Conservatives’ election in 1979, unresolved issues about the nature of regional theatre and the basis for allocating funds made it difficult for theatres to successfully adapt to changing times. Turnbull seeks to address why theatres were so ill equipped to deal with Thatcherism and asks what, if anything, was done under Blair to address the situation. An important and timely read for theatre and cultural history scholars alike, Bringing Down the House interrogates the history and politics of regional theatre.

Olivia Turnbull is a Senior Lecturer in Drama Studies at Bath Spa University. Her research interests include contemporary British and American theatre, verbatim, site specific and experimental performance practices.

If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the publication for review please contact us via: melanie@intellectbooks.com

We ask for two copies of any reviews produced to be kindly sent to the street address listed below.

Street address: The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
General Office Tel: 44 (0)117 958 9910 / Fax: +44(0)1179 589911

Author: Olivia Turnbull
ISBN: 9781841502083
Hardback: 230×174mm
Price: £19.95/ $40
URL: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/ppbooks.php?isbn=9781841502083