Civilizing and Selling Spectators: Audiences at the Madison Civic Center

Abstract

Virtually every city in the United States now has a Civic Center. In large cities, this site functions variously as a convention center, a hockey rink, and the locale for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus. In smaller cities, it frequently serves as a venue for performance. Civic Centers host touring productions of Broadway shows, national dance companies, and local symphonies and operas. In addition to providing local access to a variety of performance forms, a city's Civic Center also signifies “the arts” and so implies the city's commitment to art and performance.