Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2000 A Cultural Genealogy of the Royal Court Theatre: the Renovation of a Theatre and an Ideal. Stephen Douglas Berwind Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Berwind, Stephen Douglas, "A Cultural Genealogy of the Royal Court Theatre: the Renovation of a Theatre and an Ideal." (2000). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7180. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7180 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9* black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A CULTURAL GENEALOGY OF THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE THE RENOVATION OF A THEATRE AND AN IDEAL A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Theatre by Stephen D. Berwind B.A., Wake Forest University, 1974 M.F.A., University of Washington, 1977 May 2000 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9979244 Copyright 2000 by Berwind, Stephen Douglas All rights reserved. UMI UMI Microform9979244 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ® Copyright 2000 Stephen D. Berwind All rights reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In memory of Peg and Chris Berwind my beloved parents -iii- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Royal Court Theatre, Ian Rickson, artistic director, and Vikki Heywood, executive director, for all of their assistance and support. I especially wish to thank project manager Tony Hudson, who first welcomed me to the Royal Court, and helped me open many doors. I also thank Stephen Daldry, Steve Tompkins, and Iain Mackintosh, the central authors of this magnificent renovation. I thank Simon Harper for much practical assistance, and his many informative tours of the building during reconstruction, and Monica McCormack for her many facilitations. To the many present and past staff members who generously shared their time with me, thank you. At Louisiana State University, I must thank my advisor Bill Harbin for his encouragement, advice, and willingness to read countless drafts of this material. I also thank theatre faculty members Les Wade for his guidance in structuring this study and Gresdna Doty for rekindling my interest in the Royal Court. I thank Harold Tedford, who first encouraged my career in theatre; and Jack Sydow, who taught me so much about theatre. And loving thanks to Tony Mauro, whose support, editorial advice, and countless thoughtful acts proved invaluable. -iv- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Any errors are strictly my own. Finally, I thank George Devine whose tenacity and ideals and dreams gave us the Royal Court, the most important theatre for new writing in the world. -v- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................... iii Abstract .................................................. vii Introduction "Consult the genius of the place in all." ............... l Chapter One Redefining in Order to Rebuild: 1991-2000 ............... 20 Chapter Two Building a Theatre: 1870-1900 ........................... 74 Chapter Three Establishing an Ideal: 1901-1917 ........................ 123 Chapter Four Searching for a Format 1918-1955 ........................ 163 Chapter Five Building an Institution: 1956-1991 ..................... 210 Chapter Six The Renovation Plan ...................................... 259 Conclusion 17 February 2000 and After .............................. 307 Works Consulted .......................................... 327 Vita ...................................................... 338 -vi- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract The Royal Court Theatre's current renovation invites a reexamination of the English Stage Company (ESC). The ESC has entered a crucible of change, raising new questions concerning the Royal Court's architectural semiotics and the company's aesthetic mission as London's most acclaimed producer of new plays. This study seeks to understand the ways in which its identity has been shaped and consolidated over the last forty-two years and how the current chapter in ESC history redefines the company's identity and future achievement. The English Stage Company took over the Royal Court in early in 1956. The ESC's marriage with the theatre appears serendipitous in retrospect, because key elements of the ESC's mission correspond to characteristic events from the building's history. The institutionalization of the ESC/Royal Court during the late nineteen eighties and early nineteen nineties ensured that the identity of theatre company and theatre building became indistinguishable. The current rebuilding program endeavors to retain the ghosts of the building's past and the intimacy of its auditorium while transforming a late Victorian receiving house into a flexible, modern, -vii- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. producing theatre capable of juxtaposing new plays against the context of the traditional proscenium stage. Recognizing the complex cultural matrix that embeds the theatrical event, this study employs both a synchronic and diachronic approach when exploring the cultural genealogy of the Royal Court. The study begins with the sequence of events during the nineteen nineties that led the company to undertake a twenty-six million pound rebuilding program. It then traces three strands of history that entwined to become the story of the single entity known as the Royal Court: the history of the building, the independent theatre movement in England, and the English Stage Company. It takes a detailed look at the plan of the current renovation project and the image of the Royal Court it presents. The conclusion attempts to discern the future challenges of the Royal Court following its return home in the year 2000. -viii- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Introduction "Consult the genius of the place in all." - Alexander Pope In the autumn of 1995 the Royal Court Theatre received notice that it would be awarded funds from the National Lottery which would enable it to address the rapidly disintegrating state of its one hundred and seven year old building. Almost forty years earlier the English Stage Company had moved into the Royal Court, cognizant of the building's inadequacies. During the intervening decades, management considered comprehensive plans to remedy the problems, as well as contemplated moving elsewhere but never managed to raise the necessary funds to accomplish either objective. For forty years, makeshift solutions enabled the Royal Court to continue functioning without solving these problems. Now, with stage and grid no longer structurally sound,