ABSTRACT
This chapter opens questions about the place of theatres in towns that inform the book. Theatres in towns have been overlooked, and this chapter makes the case that the contribution of theatre to the cultural life of towns warrants critical attention. Drawing on the concepts of hope and experiment as linking threads, the chapter presents towns as centres of distinct cultural ecosystems, which support active theatre cultures that are often embedded in hybrid partnerships between volunteers, amateurs, and professionals. Theatres in towns can be deeply rooted in and responsive to place, as well as embrace eclectic and inclusive understandings of theatre as a public art form. This chapter provides an overview of the content and structure of the book, introducing the thematic focus of each of the chapters that follow: localism and cultural participation, civic cultures and regeneration, volunteerism and the gift economy, and cultural exchange and partnerships.
