Civic Theatres

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

Civic Theatres, in Britain, theatres owned and subsidized by the local authority as a cultural amenity. Clause 132 of the Local Government Act of 1948 empowered local authorities to spend the proceeds of not more than a sixpenny rate on the provision of entertainment ‘of any nature’; but it was 10 years before the opening of the Belgrade Theatre paved the way, and true civic theatres are still a rarity. Two main types of theatre enjoy civic support. Touring theatres, often providing facilities for large-scale opera and ballet, may accommodate both subsidized and commercial productions; they include the Alexandra and the Hippodrome in Birmingham, the Empire in Liverpool, the Grand Theatre and Opera House in Leeds, the Opera House and Palace Theatre, Manchester, and the Theatres Royal at Bath, Newcastle, Norwich, and Nottingham. Repertory theatres usually receive local authority support but are often managed by a Trust to ensure artistic independence.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Civic Theatres." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Civic Theatres." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CivicTheatres.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Civic Theatres." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CivicTheatres.html

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