Restoration and Georgian England 1660-1788

This is the first volume in the series Theatre in Europe: a documentary history.

David Thomas (Edited by)

9780521100816, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 June 2009

492 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.65 kg

This is the first volume in the series Theatre in Europe: a documentary history. The authors have compiled a documentary account of the theatre in Britain during the Restoration and Georgian period, which covers some 120 years of theatrical activity. It was an exciting period that saw the first arrival of the scenic stage in the public theatres of London, bringing with it a whole new approach to staging and performance. The development outlined in the volume shows the progression of the theatre from a tightly controlled, court-based institution in the Restoration to an ebullient, bustling, commercial undertaking with wide popular appeal in the late Georgian period. The collection of primary source material (both verbal and visual) documents changes in government control and censorship, company management, actors and acting styles, stage presentation, playhouse design and audience response.

Part I. 1660–1737: 1. Documents of control
2. Contractual and company documents
3. Playhouses
4. Stage presentation
5. Actors and acting
6. Audiences, repertoire, morality debates, criticism
Part II. 1737–1788: 7. Documents of control
8. Contractual and company documents
9. Playhouses
10. Stage presentation
11. Actors and Acting
12. Audiences, taste, theatre criticism.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]