Turning Points: the impact of participation in community theatre

By Neil Beddow, edited by Mary Schwartz
(South West Arts, 2001 ISBN 1 874396 2 9 9 £5.00 [£7.72 inc p&p]

This little book is a fascinating read. It describes the work of Acta Community Theatre, based in Bristol. Beddow puts the work of Acta in a historical and national context and describes their model of developing, delivering projects. There is a strong sense of the ethos and integrity of the work. But he is also interested in the potential power of such work. As he explains, he set out to write the book in order to find a way to prove that ‘an individual’s participation in the arts could have a beneficial effect on their participation in wider community life and… in some circumstances have a profound influence on their future.’ He talks about the processes of collecting evidence from the participants; as he says ‘the proof is in the people’. The evidence he provides is convincing. He also analyses the success of projects in relation to their own aims. I wish he had had more to say about measures of artistic quality, which he acknowledges, but does not explore in any depth. But then my current preoccupation is with holistic evaluation models. I’m still very glad to have read the book and it will be a useful addition to my bookshelf.

Review by Dr Janet Summerton
Dr Janet Summerton, Convenor of Art & Cultural Management studies at University of Sussex is currently working on a project entitled Public Engagement funded through All Ways Learning.

SAM's Books compiles the Bookshop section of Arts Professional magazine, and used to compile Bookshop in its predecessor, Arts Business. This review has appeared in Arts Professional or Arts Business. It gives a longer and more personal description of the book than appears in the booklists.