The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History

The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History
Author: David Wiles
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2013
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0521766362

A wide-ranging set of essays that explain what theatre history is and why we need to engage with it.

A History of English Drama 1660-1900

A History of English Drama 1660-1900
Author: Allardyce Nicoll
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 688
Release: 2009-06-25
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780521109314

Nicoll's History, which tells the story of English drama from the reopening of the theatres at the time of the Restoration right through to the end of the Victorian period, was viewed by Notes and Queries (1952) as 'a great work of exploration, a detailed guide to the untrodden acres of our dramatic history, hitherto largely ignored as barren and devoid of interest'.

The Repertory Movement

The Repertory Movement
Author: George Rowell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 1984-10-18
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780521319195

This is an account of the origins, development and current state of the repertory theatre movement in Britain. The movement had its roots in ideas, experiments and traditions stretching back into the nineteenth century, and first found its voice in 1907 with Miss Horniman's company in Manchester. Since then it has played a vital - often a dominant - role in British twentieth-century theatre. As a method of theatre organisation, repertory refers to those theatres based primarily in the regions, housing a resident acting company and seeking to maintain each season a programme of plays catering for the tastes of the whole community. But the theory has never been dogmatic and the movement has evolved from a gamut of complex factors, not least the visions of particular personalities. Major landmarks in the history include the effects of the two World Wars, the advent of substantial state funding for the Arts, the growth of cinema and television and the renewal of theatre's link with the community in the form of such initiatives as Theatre- in-Education. The history concludes with a detailed study of six representative regional theatres: The Nottingham Playhouse; The Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow; The Salisbury Playhouse; The Victoria Theatre, Stoke; The Everyman, Liverpool; and The Royal Exchange, Manchester. Appendixes include a Chronology, sample repertory programmes from the period, audience attendance figures and some comparative statistics about funding. Interspersed through the text are photographs of selected theatre exteriors, auditoria, stages and productions.

The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre, 1730-1830

The Cambridge Companion to British Theatre, 1730-1830
Author: Daniel O'Quinn
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2007-10-25
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780521617772

This Companion offers a wide-ranging and innovative guide to one of the most exciting and important periods in British theatrical history. The scope of the volume extends from the age of Garrick to the Romantic transformation of acting inaugurated by Edmund Kean. It brings together cutting-edge scholarship from leading international scholars in the long eighteenth century, offering lively and original insights into the world of the stage, its most influential playwrights and the professional lives of celebrated performers such as James Quin, George Anne Bellamy, John Philip Kemble, Dora Jordan, Fanny Abington and Sarah Siddons. The volume includes essential chapters about eighteenth-century acting, production and audiences, important surveys of key theatrical forms such as tragedy, comedy, melodrama and pantomime as well as a range of exciting thematic essays on subjects such as private theatricals, 'black' theatre and the representation of empire.

The Cambridge History of American Theatre

The Cambridge History of American Theatre
Author: Don B. Wilmeth
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 608
Release: 1999-07-28
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780521651790

Volume Two begins in the post-Civil War period and traces the development of American theater up to 1945. It discusses the role of vaudeville, European influences, the rise of the Little Theater movement, changing audiences, modernism, the Federal Theater movement, major actors and the rise of the star system, and the achievements of notable playwrights. This volume places American theater in its social, economic, and political context.