Valuing Newcastle’s theatrical performing arts industries: a systemic approach to unpacking the economic, structural and social challenges faced by the Newcastle theatre industry

At surface level, it may appear that the city of Newcastle, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, has a thriving theatre industry. This assumption can be made when observing that the region is home to 48 theatre companies. However, many other factors determine the health and sustainability of the sector, including whether the productions attracted sufficient audiences, generated employment and made a profit for their producers. This research aims to assess the current value of Newcastle’s theatrical performing arts industry and identify factors that limit or enable industry growth. The term value is a key element because it can take on multiple meanings in different contexts; for this research project, it will be defined through Bourdieu’s cultural production theory, which incorporates intertwining classifications about forms of economic, social, cultural and symbolic capital (Bourdieu, 1986). Thus, the research question underpinning this investigation is to identify the forms of capital held within Newcastle’s theatrical performing arts industry by exposing the attributes of the industry that are closely aligned to the economic, social, symbolic and cultural capital, all of which contribute to the overall value of the Newcastle theatrical performing arts landscape. Using quantitative and qualitative techniques, the methodological approach includes an amalgamation of ethnography, interviews, focus groups and surveys, which are theoretically aligned with a systemic ecology model that has been developed for the research. It is hoped that the findings will inform policy development by highlighting areas where investment has the potential to improve the value and capacity of the theatre industry in Newcastle.