Being yourself on purpose : the actor and the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre

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dc.contributor.authorLong, Maureen Agnesen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-14T21:07:18Z
dc.date.available2024-08-14T21:07:18Z
dc.date.copyright1987en_US
dc.date.issued1987
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Theatreen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractThe Glasgow Citizens' Theatre is one of the most unusual and fascinating theatre companies in Britain today. Originally formed in 1943 as a home for Scots drama, the Citizens' fell upon hard times after the death of its founder and chief playwright, James Bridie, in 1951. For many years following Bridie's death the Citizens' had no real identity, though many were assumed and, proving unsatisfactory, shed again. The Citizens' assumed a recognizable style in the season after the arrival of Giles Havergal, director, and Philip Prowse, designer, in 1969. After a dismal season of repertory work which failed to attract audiences, Havergal and Prowse decided to stop trying to cater to audiences, and do what they liked instead: to form a company of young actors and produce a season of classics presented in unconventional ways. The emphasis was on sex, violence, and the visual aspects of production. Initially, perhaps, a rather crudely sensational form of theatre, the Citizens' style soon became more sophisticated, particularly after dramturg Robert David MacDonald Joined the company in 1971. MacDonald, Havergal, and Prowse are now co-directors at the Citizens'; they have chosen to remain in Glasgow, although all three work elsewhere from time to time. The Citizens' style is heavily influenced by popular culture, and by movements in the modern European theatre, particularly the work of Jean Genet. It is to this day dominated by sex, violence, and powerful visual appeal, and emphasizes the compelling personalities of the actors involved in productions. Although chosen for "stage pre­sence" rather than the attr1.butes of skilled performance technique commonly emphasized in the modern British and American theatre, the critical acclaim earned by many actors who began their careers at the Citizens' seem to indicate that they are just as "good" as more conventional actors, and that the Citizens' unusual methods of casting and on­-the-job training are as valid as any others. Examination of a sample group of well-known ex-Citizens' actors showed them all to be quite extreme "types," who emphasize a few, idiosyncratic personality traits in performance. Their styles range from the most apparently realistic to the most flamboyantly theatrical. The Citizens' Theatre, differing as it does so greatly from other theatres in Britain, is idiosyncratic itself. It is located in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, one of Britain's most deprived areas, but makes no attempt to appeal directly to the local audience; if anything, examination of a list of Citizens' productions might lead one to accuse them of elitism. Paradoxically, the Citizens' refusal to try to predict audience tastes, or aim specifically at local concerns, has brought in a higher proportion of the local audience than any of the Citizens' earlier adminis­trations or, indeed, most of the companies in Britain who have specifically tried to attract a working-class audience. The Citizens' refusal to compromise their artistic ideals, and their presentation of theatrical events which are inter­esting, exciting, and marvellous to look at, have ensured that audience appeal remains constant, and has also earned them considerable critical respect. Originally the directors' decision to "do what they liked" was born of a despair that an audience could ever be found for the Citizens'; this policy rebounded in their favour, turning out to be what the public liked as well.en
dc.format.extent250 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/18721
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectUN SDG 5: Gender Equalityen
dc.titleBeing yourself on purpose : the actor and the Glasgow Citizens' Theatreen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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