Abstract
This chapter will explore the role that class and ethnicity have on young people’s engagement with the Birmingham Repertory theatre, UK and it’s youth theatre, The Young REP. Through an examination of spatial dynamics it will investigate the relationships that the groups had within the theatre building and the effect that insider access has on the participants’ sense of belonging (or not) in the theatre building. This chapter focuses on Arts and Humanities Research (AHRC) funded Collaborative Doctoral research carried out in 2010 with three of nine youth theatre groups organised by The Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The REP). The REP is a major producing theatre in the centre of a large multicultural city. Forty-two percent of residents are from an ethnic group other than White and 22% of residents were born outside the UK, compared with 14% in England and 11% in the West Midlands region. Alongside geographical, cultural and financial barriers, there are perceptual barriers to accessing the theatre building. In order to explore the youth theatre members’ relationships to the theatre, the study took the form of a mixed methods exploratory case study. This chapter will share the findings of some of the more innovative practical research methods which were utilised which included photography, art and drama.
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Notes
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9/11 refers to September 11th 2001 where a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States. 7/7 refers to a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bomb attacks by Islamic extremists in central London which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the morning rush hour.
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On 18 December 2004 hundreds of Sikh protestors attacked the theatre during its performance of Bezhti by Kaur Bhatti. Controversially the whole run of the studio theatre’s production was cancelled for fear of the safety of audiences both of this play and the Main House Christmas production.
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Grammar schools have a selective admission process which is granted to students based on their performance in the Eleven plus exam – pupils are admitted on the basis of a combined score in two tests.
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The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. The evening’s performance is a variety show consisting of family entertainment, including comedy, singing, dancing, magic and other speciality acts, and many of the performers and hosts are celebrities.
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Free School Meals are available to children whose family receive a qualifying benefit such as Job Seekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance. Thus it is widely seen as an indicator of low socio-economic status or poverty.
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“Schools are made subject to special measures under section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, where the Chief Inspector is of the opinion that: ‘….the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.’” (Ofsted.gov.uk).
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Hart, N., Winston, J. (2019). “People Who Do Theatre Are a Bit Posh”: Examining the Impact of Class and Ethnicity on Engagement with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s Youth Theatre (The Young REP). In: Finneran, M., Anderson, M. (eds) Education and Theatres. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 27. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22223-9_9
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