Hello, and welcome back. Last week, we looked at how certain cities developed into global hubs for the distribution of theatre. We examined how some theatres have played a key role in the popularization of theatre in these cities, and the wider region. Up until now, our focus has been on the late 19th, and the first half of the 20th century. Many of the developments we've been examining, the movement of touring companies, the building of theatres, the importance of theater managers and agents, came to an end with the outbreak of the Second World War. This war marked a clear break with the old colonial system. And, the post Second World War period saw two significant and interrelated developments: the division of the world into two rival spheres, a capitalist and a socialist one, known as the Cold War. And secondly, the process of decolonization, which created dozens of new states, most of them former colonies. In some, there was great interest in creating new theatrical cultures. Sometimes, an emulation of the western model, sometimes by emphasizing local performance traditions, and often, in a combination of the two. And, there's a third point, too, that is often forgotten when we talk about theater in the postwar period. The involvement of the state, in financing theater. East and West, North and South, governments slowly realized that they should finance theater and the arts. So, these are the three interrelated phenomena, that characterize global theater in the post war period: East-West rivalry, decolonization, and the recognition of theater as a public good.
