The London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) in context, 1947-2016

Abstract

This thesis maps the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) in its social, political, economic and cultural contexts from its inception in 1981 until 2016. Founded by Rose de Wend Fenton and Lucy Neal, LIFT established an innovative festival form that sought to create social, political and artistic change by presenting high-quality, avant-garde international theatre and performance throughout London. By locating the innovations of LIFT in the sociopolitical context of its creation and in direct relation to historical developments, it argues that international theatre festivals can act as catalysts for change through transforming ways of seeing and being, produced in and productive of the broader societal landscape. Opening with a historical perspective on LIFT, this thesis first gives context to its emergence in the 1980s and the role of international theatre festivals as they were first introduced into the field of theatre. It then examines LIFT’s development through four decades up to the present day, examining its shifting positions in the field. Methodologically rooted in the framework of the sociology of the theatre, the thesis interweaves archival research and primary observations with an exploration of the sociological, economic and political factors that have driven the creation and evolution of international theatre festivals in Britain. The thesis explores the dominant influence of neoliberal ideology in all contemporary areas of British life, arguing that their principles interpenetrate the field of cultural production to the extent that limits the possibilities of festivals achieving their full social purpose. Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of culture and Maria Shevtsova’s development of Bourdieu’s theory in relation to theatre, provides the theoretical frame of the thesis.