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41-409: Amateur theatre is distinct from the professional or community theatre because performers are usually not paid. Amateur actors are not typically members of actors' unions. Opinions vary on how to define "amateur" in relation to theatre. Technically speaking, an "amateur" is anyone who does not accept, or is not offered, money for their services. One interpretation of this is: "One lacking the skill of

82-413: A performance made entirely by professionals that is addressed to a particular community. Community theatres range in size from small groups led by single individuals that perform in borrowed spaces to large permanent companies with well-equipped facilities of their own. Many community theatres are successful, non-profit businesses with a large active membership and, often, a full-time staff. Community theatre

123-543: A professional, as in an art". Another is: "A person who engages in an art, science, study, or athletic activity as a pastime rather than as a profession". An amateur actor is unlikely to be a member of an actors' union as most countries' trades unions have strict policies in place. In the United States, the Actors' Equity Association serves a similar purpose: to protect the professional industry and its artists. While

164-619: A similar number of theatre companies. The AETF hold All-England Finals, the winners of which go forward to represent England at the National Festival of Community Theatre along with representatives from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please see " Major Festivals " below. As of January 2005, the Arts Council England was not providing any funding towards infrastructure organisations for amateur and community theatre, other than youth theatre through its support for

205-666: A springboard for the development of new performing talent with a number of professional actors having their first stage experiences in amateur theatre such as Liam Neeson (Slemish Players in Ballymena), Jamie Dornan (Holywood Players in Ballymoney), James Nesbitt (Ulster Youth Theatre) and Nathan Wright (in Dudley). A survey carried in 2002 by the major UK umbrella organisation for amateur theatre, National Operatic and Dramatic Association ("NODA"), noted that "Public support in

246-662: Is a genuine community event. NODA aims: Benefits of membership include access to NODA's advice service at national and regional level, representation to government, funding agencies, rightsholders and the media, and access to conferences, workshops and seminars to help share information on best practice. NODA also holds an annual residential theatre Summer School (with bursaries available) offering training from professional tutors in drama performance, music directing , musical theatre , stage management and other courses for performers, theatre directors and technicians. Both national and regional news about NODA and its member societies

287-577: Is a tenet of modern church theatre. In addition to performing in the church itself, many parishes have halls for performances. In the nineteenth century, Christians in European and North American often performed plays in church halls or other rented spaces, often using the proceeds from donations and tickets for charity. Soviet initiatives like the Petrograd Politprosvet and Central Agitational Studio performed improvisational theatre in

328-838: Is held to because of the personal and physical connection to its own community and the people within that community. Community theatre is understood to contribute to the social capital of a community, insofar as it develops the skills, community spirit, and artistic sensibilities of those who participate, whether as producers or audience members. It is used as a tool for social development , promoting ideas like gender equality , human rights , environment, and democracy. Participants might identify issues and discuss possible solutions. Such plays are rarely performed in traditional playhouses but rather staged in public places, traditional meeting spaces, schools , prisons , or other institutions, inviting an often spontaneous audience to watch. Partly inspired by Antonio Gramsci 's interpretation of culture,

369-610: Is made up of three representatives from each member festival, as well as the Churches Drama League and Young Farmer Clubs. Founded in 1949 it aims "to foster and encourage amateur drama through the holding of Festivals of Drama, the fostering of relations and co-operation between Ulster Drama Festivals, and the fostering of relations with similar organisations in Northern Ireland and other regions ..." There are many local festivals of amateur theatre within

410-405: Is often devised and may draw on popular theatrical forms, such as carnival , circus , and parades , as well as performance modes from commercial theatre. This type of theatre is ever-changing and evolving due to the influences of the community; the artistic process can often be heavily affected by the community's socioeconomic circumstances. There is a certain obligation that community theatre

451-661: Is published in its in-house magazine, NODA Today. NODA also holds annual national and regional Programme and Poster competitions, to encourage the highest standards in design. NODA's trading arm, NODA Limited, acts as a mechanism for raising additional funds for the Association. Its publishing department, NODA Pantomimes , offers more than 100 scripts by such popular authors as Leonard Caddy, Peter Denyer, Stephen Duckham, Ron Hall, Peter Long and Keith Rawnsley, Robert Marlowe, Geoffrey Rundle and Keith Marsden, John Morley and David Swan, and other publications including The Slipper and

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492-600: Is really an institution that exists in order to give significance to 'amateur dramatics' a frivolous kind of amusement with no pretention to art" or "as a base for starring the most popular and politically astute members" Nevertheless, many professional actors established their craft on the amateur stage. After 1988, in the UK, membership in the actors' Equity union can no longer be made compulsory, and professional performers may perform with any amateur company. Some amateur companies engage professional directors. These changes are blurring

533-531: Is the major umbrella association for community theatre in the United States. According to their website: "AACT is a nonprofit corporation that serves both individuals and organizations by providing expertise, assistance and support so that community theatres can provide the best possible theatrical experience for participants and audience alike." Among other activities the AACT sponsors a national theatre festival in odd-numbered years. The Independent Theatre Association

574-517: Is the peak body for amateur or Community drama in Western Australia . Australian amateur theatre is dependent on volunteer effort and very few amateur theatres pay salaries, although some employ cleaners. Amateur acting experience is highly sought as an entry point for aspiring professionals. The annual Finley awards celebrate the achievements of theatres in several categories. A Workers' Education Dramatic Society and student counterpart

615-537: The National Drama Festivals Association ("NDFA") caters for some 500 groups participating in around 100 local drama festivals. (See " Major Festivals " below) There are regional bodies throughout the UK. England The All-England Theatre Festival ("AETF") caters for amateur theatre groups which participate in local drama festivals, and is also concerned with a similar number of festivals of one-act and full-length plays, involving

656-544: The Scottish Arts Council in 2004-05. Wales The Drama Association of Wales ("DAW"), founded in 1934, exists to increase opportunities for people in the community to be creatively involved in drama. This is supported through the provision of training, new writing initiatives and access to an extensive specialist lending library containing plays, playsets and technical theatre books. Northern Ireland The Association of Ulster Drama Festivals ("AUDF") and

697-557: The UK , staging musicals , operas , plays , concerts and pantomimes in a wide variety of performing venues , ranging from the country's leading professional theatres to tiny village halls . It was founded in 1899. NODA is divided into 11 regions , each headed by a regional councillor who sits on the national council (the ruling body of the Association), supported by a network of regional representatives. These 190 volunteers are

738-571: The 1920s as a pedagogical project to tell stories about Marxist values and anti-capitalist enlightenment. In 1923, the Twelfth Communist Party Congress voted to support their work for the improvement of proletarian life. The performers rejected traditional forms of theatre and called themselves activists instead. National Operatic and Dramatic Association NODA has a membership of over 2m500 amateur theatre groups and 1000 individual enthusiasts throughout

779-487: The 19th century and presented amateur performances every year since 1867. The American Association of Community Theatre represents community theatres in the U.S., its territories, and theatre companies with the overseas U.S. military services. Canada has an extensive network of amateur theatre groups known as community players, and many belong to provincial associations, as in Ontario, where many companies are members of

820-565: The Association of Canadian Theatres (ACT-CO). The alternative theatre movement, which had a nationalist focus when it emerged in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s, produced a number of professional companies that focused on local communities and histories. Theatre Passe Muraille sent ensemble casts into rural communities to record local stories, songs, accents, and lifestyle. Their employment of collective creation served as an inspiration and spread across Canada. Passe Muraille facilitated

861-843: The Colway Theatre Trust, now known as the Claque Theatre and run by UK practitioner Jon Oram. Community theatre in the Netherlands came about either from professional radical people's theatre companies, or as an outgrowth of the theatre in education movement. The big theatre in the Netherlands which was created originally for theatre in education and subsequently community theatre, is the Stut Theatre. This theatre idea began in 1977 by Jos Bours and Marlies Hautvast, who when they first started creating plays at

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902-493: The Nation : in each of the 14 cities visited by the touring show, the company recruited local members of amateur companies to play the parts of Nick Bottom and the other Mechanicals. People throughout Great Britain participate in amateur theatre as performers, crew or audience members and many children first experience live theatre during local amateur performances of the annual Christmas pantomime . Amateur theatre can sometimes be

943-712: The National Association of Youth Theatre. Other associations include Avon Association of Drama, Woking Drama Association , Somerset Fellowship of Drama, Spalding Amateur Dramatic And Operatic Society and the Greater Manchester Drama Federation ("GMDF") which holds annual festivals with 60+ active members. Scotland The Scottish Community Drama Association ("SCDA"), founded in 1926, works to promote all aspects of community drama in Scotland. SCDA received funding of £50,000 from

984-498: The New Zealand Drama Council (established in 1945). Community theatre Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities —its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside help, or a collaboration between community members and professional theatre artists, or

1025-628: The Oppressed to take theatre to the people and create productions by and for specific communities. Second generation companies, such as Mixed Theatre Company (Toronto), and Stage Left Productions in Canmore, Alberta, continue this practice in the present day. Drawing on Brechtian and Forum Theatre techniques, and “making the invisible visible,” Stage Left has a long history as a grassroots group of “diverse artists and non-artists/catalysts of change who create pathways to systemic equity – in and through

1066-459: The Rose , a musical based on the film of the same name, and practical guides for performers and directors. It also offers Long Service Awards, and discounts on playscripts, libretti and scores and theatre books from the catalogue of A & C Black > NODA members can purchase theatrical make-up from Charles Fox at a special discounted price. NODA Insurance, arranged through Lloyd & Whyte offers

1107-576: The Stut Theatre, realized this kind of community theatre had a completely different approach from theatre in education. Community theatre in the United States was an outgrowth of the Little Theatre Movement , a reform movement which began in 1912 in reaction to massive Victorian melodramatic theatre spectacles. However, the country's oldest extant community theatre venue, Gates Hall in Pultneyville, New York, has existed since

1148-501: The UK and two major national and one international festival: There a number of UK wide competitions that are organised by different bodies: In the United States, amateur theatre is generally known as community theatre . In 2009 there were 923 member organizations of the American Association of Community Theatre. Membership in this organisation is voluntary, making the actual number of community theatre organisations in

1189-480: The UK for amateur theatre is patchy", but found that the annual turnover of affiliated groups was £34 million from 25,760 performances with 437,800 participants, 29% of whom were under 21; attendances were 7,315,840. An earlier, limited survey in England in 1991 revealed that only 19% of amateur drama groups were affiliated to a national "umbrella" organisation, suggesting that NODA's later survey may not reflect

1230-589: The USA uncertain. While the performers in community theatre are typically non-professional, there is a provision of the Actors' Equity Association which allows up to two paid professional actors to appear as guest performers in a community theatre production. Community theatre organisations are eligible for non-profit status under article 501(c) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. The American Association of Community Theatre

1271-405: The amateur societies "support the culture of music and the drama. They are now accepted as useful training schools for the legitimate stage, and from the volunteer ranks have sprung many present-day favourites." Amateurs continue to argue that they perform a community service, while even in the 1960s, there was still, "particularly in professional quarters, a deep-rooted suspicion that amateur theatre

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1312-691: The arts,” and their activities “promote equity & diversity, provide support services for still-excluded artists and community groups, and produce radical forms of Political Art." In Western Australia , there are a substantial number of community theatre groups who have banded together to form the Independent Theatre Association. The South Canterbury Drama League is a community theatre based in Timaru , New Zealand. Ecclesiastical communities often encourage theatrical productions, be they for youth or adults. The Christmas Play

1353-539: The distinction between amateur and professional theatre. Amateur theatre is sometimes referred to in the UK as "non-commercial theatre". In recent times the distinction between 'amateur' and 'professional' has been blurred further, with professional companies encouraging community involvement in their productions through using local amateur companies. An example of this is the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2016 tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Play for

1394-533: The first production of Codco , which employed personal experiences of Newfoundland culture in their shows. The 1980s witnessed an unprecedented rise in “Popular Theatre” companies, such as Headlines Theatre (Vancouver), Company of Sirens (Toronto), and the Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba (Winnipeg), which utilized political theatre practices such agitprop, guerilla theatre, Brecht ’s epic theatre techniques, and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of

1435-465: The majority of professional stage performers have developed their skills and studied their craft at recognised training institutions such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London), Juilliard School (New York) or National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney), amateurs are not usually professionally trained. Amateur theatre (amateur dramatics) can be defined as "theatre performances in which

1476-526: The people involved are not paid but take part for their own enjoyment". Locally organised theatrical events provide a source of entertainment for the community, and can be a fun and exciting hobby, with strong bonds of friendship formed through participation. Many amateur theatre groups reject the "amateur" label and its negative association with "amateurish", preferring to style themselves "dramatic societies", "theatre groups" or just "players". Scottish theatre-maker and writer Andrew Mckinnon in 2006 observed that

1517-788: The seminal theatre practitioner Augusto Boal developed a series of techniques known as the Theatre of the Oppressed from his work developing community theatre in Latin America . In Britain the term "community theatre" is sometimes used to distinguish theatre made by professional theatre artists with or for particular communities from that made entirely by non-professionals, which is usually known as " amateur theatre " or "amateur dramatics." Notable practitioners include Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop , John McGrath and Elizabeth MacLennan and their 7:84 company, Welfare State International , and Ann Jellicoe founder of

1558-748: The true level of grass roots community involvement with amateur theatre. In 2012 there were more than 2,500 amateur theatre groups putting on around 30,000 productions a year. Of the major bodies representing amateur theatre nationally, the National Operatic and Dramatic Association ("NODA") was founded in 1899 and in 2005 reported a membership of over 2,400 amateur theatre companies and 3,000 individuals staging musicals, operas, plays, concerts and pantomimes in venues ranging from professional theatres to village halls. The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain ("LTG") represents over 100 independent amateur theatres with auditoria from 64 to 450 seats, while

1599-592: The vital link to the grass roots of the association, the amateur theatre groups themselves. NODA is administered from its headquarters in Peterborough . In 2017 NODA became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. There is a broad spectrum of ages involved in amateur theatre nationwide, from an increasing number of youth groups to adult companies which meet the needs of all levels of both performers, whether dramatic or musical, and enthusiasts involved backstage, front of house or in administration. Each production created

1640-471: The word 'amateur' has a negative connotation. Many amateur groups are therefore re-branding themselves as 'community' groups. François Cellier and Cunningham Bridgeman wrote, in 1914, that prior to the late 19th century, amateur actors were treated with contempt by professionals. After the formation of amateur Gilbert and Sullivan companies licensed to perform the Savoy operas , professionals recognised that

1681-762: Was active in Brisbane between 1930 and 1962. See also: List of amateur theatres in Australia. There are many amateur theatre societies in New Zealand where it is often referred to as community theatre. The umbrella organization is called Theatre New Zealand (formally the New Zealand Theatre Federation) and was formed in 1970 out of a merger of the New Zealand branch of the British Drama League (established in 1932) and

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