Romantic and Revolutionary Theatre, 1789–1860

by Edited by Donald Roy, Introduction by Victor Emeljanow, Kenneth Richards, Laura Richards

• ISBN13: 9780521250801
• ISBN10: 0521250803
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-07-14
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Taking as notional parameters the upheaval of the French Revolution and the events leading up to the Unification of Italy, this volume charts a period of political and social turbulence in Europe and its reflection in theatrical life. Apart from considering external factors like censorship and legal sanctions on theatrical activity, the volume examines the effects of prevailing operational conditions on the internal organization of companies, their repertoire, acting, stage presentation, playhouse architecture and the relationship with audiences. Also covered are technical advances in stage machinery, scenography and lighting, the changing position of the playwright and the continuing importance of various street entertainments, particularly in Italy, where dramatic theatre remained the poor relation of the operatic, and itinerant acting troupes still constituted the norm. The 460 documents, many of them illustrated, have been drawn from sources in Britain, France and Italy and have been annotated, and translated where appropriate.

Table of Contents

List of documents	vii
Editor's preface	xxii
General editor's preface	xxiii
Acknowledgements	xxv
Part 1 Britain
Victor Emeljanow
Introduction	3	(2)
Theatre, the law and management practices	5	(77)
Playhouses	82	(28)
Repertoire, taste and audiences	110	(53)
Actors and acting	163	(58)
Stage presentation	221	(43)
Part 2 France
Donald Roy
Introduction	261	(3)
Documents of control	264	(29)
Managerial and contractual documents	293	(39)
Actors and acting	332	(31)
Stage presentation	363	(46)
Audiences and auditoria	409	(38)
Part 3 Italy
Kenneth Richards
Laura Richards
Introduction	441	(6)
After Goldoni	447	(14)
Carnival, feste and street theatre	461	(9)
Theatres, scenic design and audiences	470	(18)
Early nineteenth-century acting companies and theatre conditions	488	(17)
Players and playing	505	(19)
Bibliography by country	524	(18)
Index	542