THE FORMATION OF A THEATRICAL WORK IN A COMMUNITY THEATRE CONTEXT

This study is an attempt to get inside the processes that work to create a theatrical work in one local community theatre context. In doing so, the notion of what community theatre might mean is revisited, and community theatre is positioned as offering a unique prospect for a distinct creative community to form and exercise agency. The study is built around an analysis of the production of a postmodern theatrical work, "Jekyll and Hyde, a modern tale", which is an original modern interpretation of the Victorian novel. Through an examination of the processes of the play’s formation, from writing, through rehearsal and stage design to performance, the role of all the agents in the process, including the writers, the ensemble, the director and the production team, is assessed and work of the community as a whole, including the audience, is evaluated.