The Selection, Production and Reception of European Plays at the National Theatre of Great Britain from 1963-1997

• Main Author: Fearon, Fiona Kavanagh
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Sheffield 2007

This research presents a diachronic and synchronic analysis of European plays produced at the National from 1963 to 1997 and seeks to situate their selection, production and reception within the socio-cultural context of Britain's changing relationship with the representation of Europe during that time, Building on the theoretical understanding of the selection, production and reception process suggested by Stanley Fish, Jauss, Susan Bennett and Maria Shevtsova, this thesis evaluates the relationship between the 'interpretive community' of the producers, critics and audiences of the National Theatre, This analysis has been undertaken through three main activities. Firstly I have examined the selection process of the three Artistic Directors between 1963 and 1997 through interviewing the main participants, Sir Peter Hall and Sir Richard Eyre, as well as research into published letters, diaries and autobiographies, Through access to the Tynan and Olivier Archives in the British Library, it has been possible to closely examine the selection process between 1963 and 1973. The process of production has been examined through the analysis of Prompt Books, programmes and photographs that are held by the National Theatre Archive, as well as biographies and autobiographies. The reception process has been examined through two interpretive communities, that of the critics and the audience: firstly by comparing the reception of the interpretive community of critics who received the productions for British newspapers and periodicals between 1963 and 1997, and then by contrasting that reception with the actual number of people who attended each production. I have accessed the Box Office returns, Annual Reports, Board Minutes and Director's reports at the National Theatre Archive in order to complete this analysis. This research explores Britain's relationship with Europe through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and proves the effectiveness of reception analysis as a methodology for understanding historical and contemporary culture.