ABSTRACT
The inter-war period saw the theatre established as a commercial enterprise. This expensive and unruly art form was effectively tamed, to become financially viable, part of the market, its products commodified and harnessed to make a profit for the ‘owners’. The commercial imperative led to both a pampering of the better-off sections of the audience and a sad timidity in the choice of play or musical presented. What had ‘worked’ once would probably work again. An evening at the theatre was structured around the class composition of the audience. There were separate entrances for separate classes of patron. The class system extended to the theatre’s employees: at the end of the first performance, the director was expected to tip the stage staff. Others such as the stage doorkeeper might have to wait some weeks or even until the end of the run for a tip.
