The interaction of financial practices, critical judgement and professional ethics in London West End theatre management 1843-1899
This study describes in detail the context - physical, social and artistic - in which the London theatre managers concerned with the West End formed their ethical, critical and financial beliefs about the correct way to run a theatre, between 1843 and 1899. It analyses in detail the methods of creating and controlling income, of notions of expenditure and budgeting, and of the ways in which accounts were kept and in which they were used for information. Together with a description of these practices the thesis analyses the social aspirations of the influential managers, and argues that their desire to belong to an artistic elite at. times distorted their critical judgement, and certainly led them in some cases to establish techniques of theatre management which were not serving the art, nor were efficient in business terms, but which contributed to their aspirations to higher rank. The last section of the study describes and analyses the various arguments at the end of the century about state subvention, and state aid for the (London) theatre, for the insight this gives on the financial, ethical and critical beliefs prevailing in the West End theatre community. It comes to the conclusion that the narrowly
Pick, J. M.
NX Arts in general
The interaction of financial practices, critical judgement and professional ethics in London West End theatre management 1843-1899. This study describes in detail the context - physical, social and artistic - in which the London theatre managers concerned with the West End formed their ethical, critical and financial beliefs about the correct way to run a theatre, between 1843 and 1899. It analyses in detail the methods of creating and controlling income, of notions of expenditure and budgeting, and of the ways in which accounts were kept and in which they were used for information. Together with a description of these practices the thesis analyses the social aspirations of the influential managers, and argues that their desire to belong to an artistic elite at. times distorted their critical judgement, and certainly led them in some cases to establish techniques of theatre management which were not serving the art, nor were efficient in business terms, but which contributed to their aspirations to higher rank. The last section of the study describes and analyses the various arguments at the end of the century about state subvention, and state aid for the (London) theatre, for the insight this gives on the financial, ethical and critical beliefs prevailing in the West End theatre community. It comes to the conclusion that the narrowly
interaction financial practice critical judgement professional ethic london west end theatre management study describes detail context physical social artistic london theatre manager concerned west end form ethical critical financial belief correct way run theatre analyse_detail method create control income notion expenditure way account keep used information together description practice analyse social aspiration influential manager argues desire belong artistic elite time distort critical judgement certainly lead case establish technique theatre management serve art efficient business term contribute aspiration higher rank last section study describe analyse various argument state state aid london theatre insight give financial ethical critical belief prevail west end theatre community come conclusion narrowly