Introduction. Arts Practitioners: ‘Spear-Carriers’ or Actors in the Spotlight?

Abstract

This chapter introduces the founding question of the book, namely whether arts practitioners play an active role in the process of creating and implementing cultural policy—whether, rather than being non-speaking ‘spear-carriers’ on the cultural policy stage, they are instead actors in the spotlight. The chapter outlines the context and conceptual frameworks for the research, and briefly introduces the case study through which the subject will be explored: that of new playwriting for the theatre. It begins to develop the argument, pursued through the book, that why it matters whether practitioners are involved in the policy process can be answered through placing it within a discussion about the importance of participation in democratic life, and in particular about engagement in civil society. The chapter also explains a number of key aspects of the methodology, definitions and parameters of the research.