Book contents
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Theatrical Network
- 2 The Representation of Race on the Georgian Stage
- 3 James Hewlett, Ira Aldridge and The Death of Christophe, King of Hayti
- 4 Islamic India Restored: El Hyder and Tippoo Saib at the Royal Coburg Theatre
- 5 The North African Islamic States on the British and American Stage
- 6 Pacific Pantomimes: Omai, or, A Trip Round the World and The Death of Captain Cook
- 7 Colonists, Convicts, Settlers and Natives: La Perouse, Pitcairn's Island and Van Diemen's Land!
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Works Cited
- Index
1 - The Theatrical Network
- Frontmatter
- CONTENTS
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Theatrical Network
- 2 The Representation of Race on the Georgian Stage
- 3 James Hewlett, Ira Aldridge and The Death of Christophe, King of Hayti
- 4 Islamic India Restored: El Hyder and Tippoo Saib at the Royal Coburg Theatre
- 5 The North African Islamic States on the British and American Stage
- 6 Pacific Pantomimes: Omai, or, A Trip Round the World and The Death of Captain Cook
- 7 Colonists, Convicts, Settlers and Natives: La Perouse, Pitcairn's Island and Van Diemen's Land!
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Works Cited
- Index
Summary
The network of theatres in Georgian English market towns, cathedral cities and newly industrial regions is indicative of the pervasive presence of drama. It represents the tangible physical infrastructure providing the precondition for drama's dissemination. Unlike the circulating libraries, the playhouses could influence those who were illiterate or, in the case of pantomime, didn't understand English. Outside of London, the provincial playhouses and players accumulated exponentially larger audiences. The social and built environment of towns and cities provided the means by which actors could engage in their profession and present the contemporary dramatic repertoire to the general population. By 1800, in Georgian England a network of provincial playhouses had developed, often in places now little visited by drama. It is important to remember that, certainly as far as the built environment is concerned, there were probably far more Georgian playhouses than there are regular theatrical venues in Britain today. Very few of today's market towns can boast a theatrical season of between one and three months entirely dedicated to live drama performed by a regular company. However, the vestiges of these theatrical environments are fairly easy to find. In a few cases, such as Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, Stamford in Lincolnshire and Richmond in North Yorkshire, much of the Georgian interior or exterior – and even some scenery – has survived intact. Elsewhere, as at Grantham, Lincolnshire, the basic structure of the building survives but has been adapted to a modern purpose.
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- Information
- Harlequin EmpireRace, Ethnicity and the Drama of the Popular Enlightenment, pp. 11 - 22Publisher: Pickering & ChattoFirst published in: 2014