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Romanticisms, Nation and Empire

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Romanticisms, Nation and Empire Università degli Studi di Bari ‘Aldo Moro’ Corso di Laurea in Comunicazione Linguistica e Interculturale Curricula: Mediazione Interculturale/Italiano per Stranieri Letteratura Inglese I a.a. 2014-2015 Prof. Franca Dellarosa [email protected] Romanticisms, Nation and Empire Brish Theatrical Culture, 1760s-1830s Periodization: 1760s-1830s ò Theatre in the “Georgian”* era ò *The Georgian era is a period of British history, which includes the reigns of the Kings of the House of Hanover: George I, George II, George III, and George IV, thus covering the period from 1714 to 1830, and including the sub-period of the Regency, defined by the Regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. Often, the short reign of King William IV (1830 to 1837) is also included. Periodization: 1760s-1830s ò Theatre in the “Romantic”era ò e.g. :“English Romantic Theatre (1760/1830): Texts, Theories and Stage” An Inter-University Research Project (Universities of Bologna, Bari, Florence, Parma, Pavia, Roma La Sapienza) ò “The aim of this research project is to re-evaluate the production of British Theatre and Drama between 1760 and 1830 in the belief that the theatrical culture and production of the 'Romantic' period made a substantial contribution, often of the highest standard, to the history of Western theatrical tradition. This research project, therefore, aims at compensating for or, better, overthrowing a prejudicial evaluation that has for a long time blamed Romantic theatre for the definitive decline of the great dramatic tradition which had existed since the classical era.” A Theatrical Evening in Late Eighteenth-/Early Nineteenth-century London Inkle and Yarico: playbill of the first performance, August 4, 1787) “The hour is fairly early, the curtain a 6:30 one, and there are no assigned seats in the pit […]. Every night it is the same; people clamber to get the best seats in a race that would make a modern rock concert seem sedate. While you appreciate the lack of seat backs as you hurtle seventeen benches, you will miss them by the end of the evening. After all, you will remain in the theater until eleven o’clock or even midnight, and will not see a single play but an entire evening’s entertainment.” J. Jeffrey N. Cox, Michael Gamer, Broadview Anthology of Romantic Drama (2003) The Institutions: Theatrical Monopoly òIn 1662 King Charles II granted patents to his courtier playwrights Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant, which permitted the performance of ‘tragedies, comedies, plays, operas, music, scenes and all other entertainments of the stage’. The King’s gift of patents, together with the permission to build ‘two theatres with all convenient rooms and other necessities thereunto appertaining’ brought about the rise of permanent London theatrical institutions, later identified with Drury Lane (1663) and Covent Garden (1732) òAdapted from: J. Moody, Illegitimate Theatre in London, 1770-1840, Cambridge: CUP, 2000 Censorship ò The Licensing Act or Theatrical Licensing Act of 21 June 1737 was a landmark act of censorship of the British stage and one of the most determining factors in the development of Georgian drama and theatre. The Act established that the Lord Chamberlain had the power to approve any play before it was staged. ò The Licensing Act of 1737 instituted a system of censorship in Great Britain demanding that all plays be reviewed by the Lord Chamberlain before they could be licensed for public performance. The initial reading of a submitted play was left to an Examiner of Plays; the Lord Chamberlain himself only became involved if the Examiner detected some objectionable content requiring review and opinion. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Theatre ò The Licensing Act of 1737 tightened censorship of drama, placing it under the control of the Lord Chamberlain. Only patent theatres were able to perform drama – known as legitimate theatre. Non-patent theatres performed melodrama, pantomime, ballet, and other forms of mainly visual spectacle. As these involved music or musical interludes they could not be classed as plays and were regarded as illegitimate theatre and were not subject to the Licensing Act. ò Later, a series of royal patents were granted to cities outside London. These became known as “Theatres Royal”. Many still operate and were built in a restrained neo-classical style. ò Adapted from: http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/exploring-theatres/history-of-theatres/ eighteenth-century-theatre The Patent Theatres: Drury Lane (1662) ò The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a theatre in the West End area of London, officially situated on Catherine Street, but backing onto Drury Lane just to the east of Covent Garden. A cockpit in that location was converted into a theatre during the reign of James I. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, a splendid new theatre was built to designs by Christopher Wren. Having been razed by fire on January 25, 1672, it was succeeded by a larger and still more elaborate building also designed by Wren, which housed two thousand spectators with the opening attended by Charles II on March 26, 1674. ò The great English actor David Garrick managed the theatre during the mid- eighteenth century, during which time he produced many plays, including most of Shakespeare's work. By the end of the 18th century, the building was in need of updating, and was demolished in 1791. A third theatre was designed by Henry Holland and opened on March 12, 1794, lasting for only 15 years before burning down on February 24, 1809. William Hogarth: David Garrick as Richard III,1745 (Detail) ò Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hogarth,_William_-_David_GarricK_as_Richard_III_-_1745.jpg Drury Lane Theatre - London, England, 1808 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Drury_lane_interior_1808.jpg ò The present Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, designed by Benjamin Wyatt, opened on October 10, 1812 with a production of Hamlet. The interior has been substantially redesigned and overhauled many times since then. It is one of the West End's largest, and has been the setting for appearances by Edmund Kean and Sarah Siddons, among others. With a capacity of 2,205, it has been home to many large productions over the years. Patent Theatres: Covent Garden . Covent Garden was originally opened in 1732. In 1792, the theatre was renovated and enlarged but it burnt down on 20 September, 1808 and was redesigned by Robert Smirke opening less than a year later on 18 September, 1809, with a capacity of three thousand people. The auditorium and stage were lit by gaslight from 1817. The picture below is of Smirke's redesign. Illegitimate Theatres: Astley’s Amphitheatre ò Philip Astley opened Astley’s Amphitheatre in 1777, and, not surprisingly for a former riding school owner, featured lots of horses. The amphitheatre mixed circus with theatre, having a circus ring attached to a stage and exploiting the circus tricks which horses could do. Astley’s was renowned for its equestrian dramas, which it continued to produce until its destruction in 1895. The huge size of the stage space meant that it could produce huge military extravaganzas with hundreds of soldiers, horses and cannons. ò When Lord Sanger and his brother took over the Amphitheatre, in 1871, they moved the style of performance towards a more zoological style. One production featured not only several hundred humans in the cast but fifty-two horses, fifteen elephants, two lions on leads, kangaroos, pelicans, reindeer, chamois and many more animals. ò source: http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/99-00/9702981a/mmcourse/project/html/Astleys.htm ò Astleyʼs Amphitheatre Source: http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/99-00/9702981a/mmcourse/project/html/Astleys.htm Adelphi (Strand) • Built in 1806 opposite Adam Street by merchant John Scott as the Sans Pareil to showcase his daughter's theatrical talents, the theatre was given a new facade and redecorated in 1814. It re-opened on 18 October 1819 as the Adelphi, named after the imposing complex of West London streets built by the brothers Robert (1728-92) and James (1730-94) Adam from 1768. The name "Adelphoi" in Greek simply means "the brothers." Among the celebrated actors who appeared on its stage was the comedian Charles Matthews (1776-1835), whose work was so admired by young Charles Dickens. It had more "tone" than the other minor theatres because its patrons in the main were the salaried clerks of barristers and solicitors. • Source: Theatres in Victorian London, The Victorian Web http://victorian.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/victorianweb/mt/theaters/pva234.html Source: http://www.victorianweb.org/mt/theaters/adelphi.html Theatrical Genres ò “Romantic theater was an exciting dramatic laboratory in which playwrights experimented with a wealth of new forms and technologies” ò J. Cox, M. Gamer, Broadview Anthology of Romantic Drama (2003) ò ‘Legitimate’ (‘spoken’) drama: tragedy, comedy of manners ò ‘Illegitimate’ (‘mixed’) drama: comic pantomime, melodrama, ‘burletta’, harlequinade, ‘extravaganza’, nautical drama, hippodrama ò Main Entry: 1pan·to·mime ò Pronunciation: \ˈpan-tə-ˌmīm\ ò Function: noun ò Etymology: Latin pantomimus, from pant- + mimus mime ò Date: 1589 ò 1 : pantomimist ò Main Entry: pan·to·mim·ist ò Pronunciation: \ˈpan-tə-ˌmī-mist, -ˌmi-\ ò Function: noun ò Date: circa 1823 ò 1 : an actor or dancer in pantomimes ò 2 : a composer of pantomimes ò 2 a : an ancient dramatic performance featuring a solo dancer and a narrative chorus b : any of various dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers c : a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances 3 a : conveyance of a story by bodily or facial movements especially in drama or dance b : the art or genre of conveying a story by bodily movements only ò — pan·to·mim·ic \ˌpan-tə-ˈmi-mik\ adjective [adapted] Comic Pantomime* ò A 'pantomime' in Ancient Greece was originally a group who 'imitates all' (panto- - all, mimos - imitator) accompanied by sung narrative and instrumental music, often played on the flute.
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