Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre of the First World War
- Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
- The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre of the First World War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Notes on Contributors
- Chronology of Events and Productions
- Introduction
- Part I Mobilising for War
- Part II Theatre during the War
- Chapter 3 Challenging Times
- Chapter 4 Everyone’s a Playgoer Now!
- Chapter 5 Theatre in the War Zone
- Chapter 6 The Classics at War
- Chapter 7 War on the Popular Stage
- Chapter 8 Cinema and Theatre in the Great War
- Chapter 9 ‘American Invasions’
- Chapter 10 European Theatre on the British Stage 1914–1918
- Chapter 11 Resistance and Objection
- Part III The Memory of War
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 4 - Everyone’s a Playgoer Now!
Theatregoing and Theatregoers 1914–1918
from Part II - Theatre during the War
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023
- The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre of the First World War
- Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
- The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre of the First World War
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Notes on Contributors
- Chronology of Events and Productions
- Introduction
- Part I Mobilising for War
- Part II Theatre during the War
- Chapter 3 Challenging Times
- Chapter 4 Everyone’s a Playgoer Now!
- Chapter 5 Theatre in the War Zone
- Chapter 6 The Classics at War
- Chapter 7 War on the Popular Stage
- Chapter 8 Cinema and Theatre in the Great War
- Chapter 9 ‘American Invasions’
- Chapter 10 European Theatre on the British Stage 1914–1918
- Chapter 11 Resistance and Objection
- Part III The Memory of War
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
In examining how practices of theatregoing were impacted by the war this chapter provides a partner to Claire Cochrane’s examination of theatre-making in Chapter 3. It considers changing audience demographics over the war and reveals how the ‘new’ audiences were often blamed for the deterioration of theatrical quality. It pays particular attention to the two groups of audiences that received the greatest attention during the war: women (especially single women and mothers) and servicemen. Whilst recognising the value of newspaper and magazine commentaries on audience, the chapter also draws on letters, memoirs, commentaries and diary entries to understand and draw out the first-person experience of theatre-going during the war. It highlights the impact of air raids, lighting restrictions, the Amusements Tax and other wartime conditions on audiences. It also shows how changing social realities and relations in the wider world impacted on the theatre, bringing new class and gender dynamics into the auditorium.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023