Theatre in the Chocolate Factory
Performance at Cadbury's Bournville, 1900–1935

Unearthing artistic creativity at the heart of British industrialism, Catherine Hindson tells the story of Bournville's employee theatre.

Catherine Hindson (Author)

9781009271882, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 July 2023

280 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 1.8 cm, 0.55 kg

Providing a new way of thinking about industrialism and its history through the lens of one of Britain's most recognisable heritage brands, Catherine Hindson explores the creativity that was at the heart of Cadbury's operation in the early twentieth century. Guided by Quaker Capitalism, employees at Bournville took part in recreational and educational activities, enabling imagination to flourish. Amidst this pattern of work and play arose the vibrant phenomenon that was factory theatre, with performances and productions involving tens of thousands of employees as performers and spectators. Home-grown Bournville casts and audiences were supplemented by performers, civic leaders, playwrights, academics, town planners, and celebrities, interweaving industrialists with the city's theatrical and visual arts as well as national entertainment cultures. This interdisciplinary study uncovers the stories of Bournville's theatre and the employees who made it, considering ground-breaking approaches to mental and physical health and education.

Part I. Factory Theatre: 1. Staging Bournville's spirit: Cadbury's industrial performances
2. Theatre in the Bournville factory: performance at work
Part II. Theatre in the Factory Garden
3. Marketing fresh air: outdoor performance at Bournville's factory in the garden
4. Serious play: John Drinkwater's masques at Bournville
Part III. Theatre, Education, and Worker Wellbeing: 5. Keeping on the right lines: making theatre in Bournville's recreational societies
6. Dramatic methods of teaching: theatre and education at Bournville.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]