The Cambridge Introduction to English Theatre, 1660-1900

An accessible and lively 2006 introduction to the history of the stage from 1660 to 1900.

Peter Thomson (Author)

9780521839259, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 September 2006

326 pages, 32 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.61 kg

'well-executed and clear.' The Times Literary Supplement

This 2006 introduction aims to share with readers the author's enjoyment of the turbulent 240-year history of a theatre that tried, often against the odds, to be 'modern'. In each of its five parts, it deals successively with history and cultural context, with the plays and the actors who caught the imagination of their era. Peter Thomson's text, always approachable, is enriched by quotations and carefully selected illustrations that capture 'the spirit of the age' under consideration. Beginning with the reopening of the playhouses under licence from Charles II, Thomson introduces the modern English theatre by breaking off at key dates - 1700, 1737, 1789 and 1843 - in order to explore both continuity and innovation. Familiar names and well-known plays feature alongside the forgotten and neglected. This is a reading of dramatic history that keeps constantly in mind the material circumstances that produced, and sometimes oppressed, a supremely popular theatre.

Preface
Part I. The theatre restored: 1660–1700: 1. The material circumstance
2. The drama
3. Actors and acting
Part II. The theatre reformed: 1700–37: 4. The material circumstance
5. The drama
6. Actors and acting
Part III. The theatre tamed: 1737–89: 7. The material circumstance
8. The drama
9. Actors and acting
Part IV. Theatre in the age of reform: 1789–1843: 10. The material circumstance
11. The drama
12. Actors and acting
Part V. The theatre industry: 1843–1901: 13. The material circumstance
14. The drama
15. Actors and acting
Index of plays.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]