INTRODUCTION

As theatre has found Itself gradually pushed from the centre of the popular arts to their periphery, a belief in ‘popular theatre’ has repeatedly figured in thinking about its role, and energised a series of initiatives that have radically extended its boundaries and possibilities. But at the start of the century many looked down on theatre as an all-too-popular affair. Those striving to convert it to higher purposes did not expect or look for mass support. There was a frequent call for smaller theatres, where the new techniques of naturalism could register effectively for a select audience, and for club theatres, where an oppressive censorship could be evaded. The reform of the stage was seen to depend on the support of two slim minorities: those with stomach for the new realistic problem plays, or those with a taste for advanced artistic styles. Both parties believed themselves the only hope of redeeming the stage from the brash vulgarity and sentiment into which it had sunk. It is worth remembering that when Strindberg, at the peak of his fame, for the first time took direction of his own theatre, its seats numbered a mere 150, a capacity barely viable today except on the ‘profit-sharing’ or unwaged fringe.