Scenography and the construction of Liverpool identities at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres between 2004 and 2015

This thesis examines the scenography of new playwriting, set in Liverpool and staged at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres between 2004 and 2015 to determine how theatrical visualisations of the city relate to different aspects of Liverpool identity. By close analysis of the designs of a series of case study productions, and their reception in local and national press, this research uncovers how particular features and narratives of Liverpool culture and experience were highlighted on stage during this period, through scenography. Further, it considers the implications of these representations on local, national and global imaginings of the city and its inhabitants.

Liverpool has a strong cultural identity that is complex and multifaceted in its construction and viewed differently inside and outside of the city. The term ‘Scouse’, widely understood as encapsulating the voice and character of Liverpool identity, is applied and problematised in this thesis in relation to a particular section of Liverpool working-class identities and culture. This research evaluates how and to what ends ‘Scouse’ is visualised theatrically and the role of scenography in the re-enforcement or destabilisation of the range of identities embraced by this appellation.

Whilst acknowledging the limitations of the ability of theatrical representation to overcome ingrained cultural narratives, this thesis argues that the scenographic representation of Liverpool does have the potential to revise conceptions of the city, both in terms of local lived experience and the cultural perceptions of outsiders. As such, this research constitutes the first extensive investigation into scenography and cultural identity at a major regional producing theatre and contributes to the increasing body of scholarly research that recognises, the cultural and political agency of scenography in its act of spatial representation.

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