Masters Degrees (Drama)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Drama) by Subject "Afrikaans theater"

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    Bemarking van die Afrikaanse teater : vraag en aanbod ten opsigte van toneel as produk
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010-03) Hattingh, Jana; Esterhuizen, Johan; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Drama.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Production houses, theatres and arts festivals are closely involved in the development of the Afrikaans theatre industry. Other than the first two entities, arts festivals, with their special focus on Afrikaans theatre, are a recent development of the shifting situation in post-1994 South Africa, when political changes led to a new climate surrounding the arts in general and drama in particular, creating a free-market situation with a number of specific challenges. A historical overview of the three entities is provided before an investigation is undertaken to establish the extent to which the arts industry is managed according to business principles. The focus falls on drama groups, theatres and Media24 sponsored arts festivals in particular, as observed within the broader context of the English theatre industry, from which a lot can be learnt. The hypothesis of this study is that some of the problems which the Afrikaans drama industry faces, can be ascribed to the fact that the management of the industry is creativity-orientated rather than business-orientated. From examples of stage productions, as well as a variety of data obtained from both written and oral sources – due to a shortage of research in this field – analyses were undertaken of the Afrikaans drama industry’s performance in order to establish in how far business principles are applied, the lack of skills experienced and how marketing can be improved. This study finds that it is difficult to come to obvious conclusions due to the number of variables. Broad guidelines could be established, however, linked to aspects such as market research on the segmentation of target groups, the choice of themes and players, demand and affordability. The key to efficient marketing lies in a thorough knowledge of the field, combined with the strategic management of demand and supply. A proper balance between business principles and creativity is of cardinal importance in order to allow Afrikaans theatre to grow to its full potential.