The Set-Up: An Anatomy of the English Theatre Today

Originally published in 1973, this book investigates the power and the pressures behind English theatre in the late 20th Century, analysing its structure and systems, and the way that money and motives flow through it. On the one hand there are the organisations: the big national companies, the West End managements, the regional repertory theatres, the ‘fringe’ groups, the trade unions, the Arts Council. On the other are the individuals: actors, directors, playwrights, agents, administrators. Ronald Hayman’s challenging book illuminates the conflicts and contradictions in the set-up. It is a mine of information about how theatres are run, how shows pay their way, and what happens when they don’t.