Spectators, Theatre Types and the Social Purposes of the Theatre

Abstract

The   material I am presenting here is based on a small portion of my research on   audiences for different types of theatre. Although categorizing them is not a   straightforward matter, they may be described as establishment -mainstream,   radical-mainstream, workplace-community theatre and bilingual-bicultural   theatre. The theatre companies/venues and productions which I have taken to   represent these four types are as follows: Three Sisters directed by Richard   Wherrett in 1990 at the Sydney "dual" or "double" -shows   clearly its aim of developing its work from two languages and two   cultures.