Heritage, Community, Trawling and Gold Nose: Towards a model for the creative producer in UK City of Culture 2017

Dankoff, Luke

Abstract

The UK City of Culture 2017 in Hull serves as a useful archive to develop a new model for the Creative Producer, a designation of a new type of producer that recognises the remit and capabilities of contemporary producing practice. The title of UK City of Culture is often presented as a panacea for the host city’s social and economic issues. Cultural events are expected to be the catalysts of this socioeconomic boost. This dissertation contributes to the fields of theatre and performance, cultural policy, and arts management by problematising the producing of cultural mega-events through the lens of UK City of Culture 2017. Many studies investigating Cities of Culture have been grounded in cultural policy or cultural geography. This thesis uses the field of theatre and performance to demonstrate how contemporary producing practice can play a key role in developing wider social, economic, and cultural effects throughout the cultural year. Looking at key case studies from the UK City of Culture 2017 programme, I analyse the impacts the events had on members of Hull’s communities and how they contributed to the wider objectives that underpinned the event. Using a synthesis of contemporary scholarship and archival material from the cultural year I argue that critical lessons from the Hull UK City of Culture 2017 can inform future models of producing and provide useful insights to develop critical methodologies for the Creative Producer. My measures of success are not solely based on quantifiable outcomes, rather on ways in which these events had lasting transformational effects on Hull’s various hyperlocal communities. I specifically focus on how the UK City of Culture 2017 inflected people’s notions of cultural identity and why this is a crucial aspect to the producing of future works.

Citation

Dankoff, L. Heritage, Community, Trawling and Gold Nose: Towards a model for the creative producer in UK City of Culture 2017. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4587958

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 12, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 12, 2024
• Keywords: Drama
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4587958
• Additional Information: Department of Drama; University of Hull
• Award Date: Feb 13, 2024