This book explores the failure of government subsidies to the arts as well as providing a case study of the disenfranchisement of the local, the indigenous, the politically inconvenient, and the unorthodox. On a smaller scale, the book looks at how a small Welsh village once considered the Athens of Wales for its professional theatre became virtually invisible as a result of politics, egoism, external influences, and government meddling. It is designed for academics and students in the humanities and social sciences as well as arts administrators, politicians, and cultural managers.

Author Biography: Ruth Shade lives in Wolverhampton, England, where she is senior lecturer in drama at the University of Wolverhampton. She is also the artistic director of the Cricklade Theatre and head of drama at Cricklade College, Andover, Hants; lecturer in drama at Orpington College of FE, Orpington, Kent; and an actor and director.