New Readings in Theatre History

The history of the British stage retold from a different perspective.

Jacky Bratton (Author)

9780521794633, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 27 November 2003

252 pages, 6 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.3 cm, 0.3 kg

'This book achieves all the author sets out for herself. It is a radical rethinking of how we make and disseminate our theatre histories. For the scholar of the nineteenth-century theatre, it will surely be a field-changing volume. Professor Bratton has undoubtedly raised the bar for how we uncover, narrate, and theorise evidence of theatrical activity in this period. The questions she poses are both important and complex, and our attempts to address them will undoubtedly invigorate academic practice and debate.' Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film

Over the last two hundred years some important ways of understanding theatre history have been undervalued or ignored by scholars. Leading theatre historian Jacky Bratton employs new approaches to examine and challenge this development and to discover how theatre history has been chronicled and how it is interpreted. Using a series of case studies from nineteenth-century British theatre, Bratton examines the difference between the existence of 'the drama' (plays and play literature) and 'the stage' (performance, theatre building, and attendance). By rejecting literary history, Bratton experiments with other ways of analysing the past, and the ways that have actually seemed relevant to the people on stage. This book suggests new histories: of theatrical story-telling, of performing families, and of the disregarded dramatic energy of Victorian entertainment. As a result, we gain a new perspective on theatre history, not only for the Romantic and Victorian periods, but for the discipline overall.

Acknowledgements
Part I. Background: 1. Theatre history today
2. British theatre history: 1708–1832
3. Theatre in London in 1832: a new overview
4. Theatre history and reform
Part II. Case Studies: 5. Anecdote and mimicry as history
6. Theatre history and the discourse of the popular
7. Claiming kin: an experiment in genealogical research
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]