The Afterpiece: How and Why
"Afterpieces were short, humorous playlets which followed the five act main attraction and concluded the theatrical evening in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries" (Bevis vii). During the eighteenth century the afterpiece became a fixture of the English theatre, but double billing was not a practice unique to English theatre. It was done in France during the late seventeenth century and probably had been experimented with elsewhere. But the afterpiece in England is believed to have originated independently of the French practice (Origins 58). The regular presentation of afterpieces began out of economic necessity and was continued after it was found to be a great asset to British theatre not only economically but artistically.
During the rule of James I, the work day of the working and business classes ended well after the theatre evening had begun. It became customary for members of the working class to attend the last two acts of a play without having to pay anything for admission. The managers of the London theaters didn't view this late free admission as a problem and never attempted to dissuade people from taking advantage of it, but by the time Charles II took the throne theaters were losing profits by allowing it. After Dorset Garden and Drury Lane merged in 1682, the decision was made to begin charging those who came only for the second half of the show. Londoners could attend the last two acts of a five act play for a fraction of the price (Origins 53-54). Of course, after years of being admitted for free, there must have been many complaints from those who felt that they shouldn't have to pay if they were not going to see a complete performance of a piece. But, since there was only o...
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...hose receipts (after house charges) went to the actor, actress, author or theatre employee whose `night' it was (Bevis xi).
Works Cited
Bevis, Richard W. Eighteenth Century Drama: Afterpieces. London: Oxford University Press, 1970.
Hotson, Leslie. The Commonwealth and Restoration Stage. New York: Russell & Russell Inc., 1928.
Jason, Phillip K. "The Afterpiece: Authors and Incentives," in Restoration and 18th Century Theatre Research, 12 (1973), 1-13.
Jason, Phillip K. "The Afterpiece: Origins and Early Development," in Restoration and 18th Century Theatre Research, 1 (1986), 53-62.
Lawrence, W.J. Old Theatre Days and Ways. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1935. Annotated
Loftis, John. Steele at Drury Lane. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1952.
Roose-Evans, James. London Theatre. Oxford: Phaidon Press Limited, 1977.
Eighteenth century British theatre was perhaps the starting point that would evolve into modern theatre. Women started to be allowed on stage and acting techniques were beginning to change. Leading performers were like celebrities with a number of fans. Theatre was an intricate part of the social ladder. In the overall scheme of things the actors and actresses played an important part in making the theatre what it was. Without the performers there wouldn’t really be theatre, so in order to understand the eighteenth century British theatre the performers of that era need to be understood.
Theatres and How We Had Fun." Little, Brown, and Company. (Boston, Toronto, London); 1991. P. 139, 144.
Daum, Gary. "Chapter 12 The Baroque Era (1600-1750)." Georgetown Prep. 1994. Georgetown University. 12 July 2005 .
Although some points of Donohue’s argument are dated and reflect the feelings of the time the article was published in, his argument as a whole is very effective. If scholars want the history of theatre to be as precise art as possible, they should follow Donahue’s suggestion and examine how a conclusion is formed. Building on previous groundwork and working up from that, scholar’s jobs, while pleasurable, should remain a challenge, but in the end should prove to be a very precise and meticulous art.
The Restoration in England was an era ripe for the development of new ideas in the arts. The return of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II marked the end of eighteen years of almost dictatorial control by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan parliament. Cromwell had campaigned actively to halt all theatrical activity. In the end, however, his laws were actually responsible for helping move England forward in theatrical history. Actors, under Cromwell's laws, were to be apprehended a rogues if they were caught "in the act" so to speak of performing their trade. Some left their careers and sought employment elsewhere. Most, however, remained undaunted by parliament's threats. Productions continued quietly in tennis courts, inns and private houses. Officials were bribed to keep silent their knowledge of violations. The theater in England had moved indoors as it had already done in France and Italy. Although the reasons for the move were different, the end result was the same. Up until this time plays had always been performed outdoors in the early afternoon. Performances traditionally relied on sunlight, natural scenery, and minimal set pieces that could be easily transported from one location to another. Indoor productions required something much more elaborate. The preliminary concepts of scenic design and lighting design began to form in England in the late 1650's. During the Restoration, as controls were lifted, technical theater began to flourish. Many early examples of modern stage techniques were born between 1660 and 1800, making the Restoration a significant era in the history of scenic design and lighting for the theater. The art of scenic design did not begin in England. As early as 1570 the Italians were giving elaborate opera performances in the ducal courts using perspective scenes and various types of stage machinery. The French mimicked the design ideas of the Italian's and gave them a name, la scene a l'italienne. (Southern 221) Although Cromwell had banned public theater, opera was still considered a lawful art form. In England, just prior to the Restoration, John Webb designed the scenery for William D'avenant's 'opera' production of The Siege of Rhodes.
Joseph, Bertram. Rev. of The Twelfth Night of Shakespeare’s Audience, by John W. Draper. Review of English Studies 3.10 (1952): 170-71. Print.
The National theatre, Old events at the Old Vic Archive,Past Events,Past productions 1996-2000 date accessed 20/03/10 http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/8209/past-events/past-productions-19962000.html
In the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603) and the Jacobean Era (1603-1625), there was a fondness for spectacle and pageantry. At court, trumpets and drums resounded to announce mealtimes; in town, these instruments were used by theatre troupes to herald upcoming performances (Renaissance & Baroque Society of Pittsburgh, 2003, and Folkerth, 2002). Music, then, is applied boldly and lavishly in everyday life and in drama, an imitation of life.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
The Little Theatre in the United States. New York: H. Holt, 1917. Print. McKay, Nellie. " Black Theater and Drama in the 1920s:
Analyzing Shakespeare’s audience would be one of the first steps in understanding this generation. Elizabethans spent most of their time watching plays and it is also where many objects were lost. For example, one relic found among the debris of a theatre, a sharp and stylish fork with the initials A.N, can be used to explain how people reacted to what society expected of them.
[8] Brown, Frederick. Theater and Revolution: The Culture of the French Stage. New York: Viking, 1980. Print.
Brockett, Oscar G., and Oscar G. Brockett. The Essential Theatre. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. Print.
Actors were expected to memorize hundreds of lines at a time. While one play could be performing, actors would be practicing lines for their next show. Play writers also began to make roles for the actors in the theatrical pieces. The theaters that actors performed in were roofless so that the sun could be used as lighting. Theatrical shows were held in the afternoon because it provided the best amount of light for the show. When the people gathered into the theater, the different classes of people were separated by where they could afford to sit and watch the show. The lower classmen were situated on the bare earth where it was dirty and smelly because it was never cleaned. The owners’ of the theaters found it less expensive if they did not keep high maintenance of their establishments. Higher classmen sat under a roof and for a penny more, they could buy cushions for their seats.
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...