Theatre In The Victorian Era

When one thinks of the theatre, they think of modern day Broadway, New York City, and flashing lights, but they don’t think about how we got here. They think that right now is the peak of theatre, but don’t think about the Victorian Era (1831-1901), when the theatre was just beginning to pick up in London. They don’t realize how much the Victorian Era truly impacted the theatre. In order to know how deep this impact truly was, one must learn about the theater itself, the types of theatre performed, and the enhancements that made the theatre truly special.

Before diving into what has been produced from the theater, the theater environment must first be addressed. Originally, the theater wasn’t as common and there weren’t as many people in

Copyright laws weren’t set until 1900, which is just before the Victorian Era ended (Brockett 397). This is quite surprising, considering that this means that productions could’ve been stolen up to this point in history. Secondly and one of the most important moments in Victorian Era theater was the Licensing Act. This act ensured that only two select theaters, Drury Lane and Covent Garden, could perform plays, while all other theaters had to perform lesser forms of entertainment (Bratton). This caused quite the uproar, but also led to some completely new and spectacular forms of

“19th century theatre was dominated by actor-managers who ran the productions and played the lead roles in productions” (V&A Museum). They were quite common during this time period and did so much to make the theatre better. Some actor-managers such as Henry Irving (1838-1905) and Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852-1917) enhanced the theater by creating real sparks for sword fights, real rabbits, grass, water, and crazy makeup (V&A Museum). Realism in theatre was already very popular and admired, but these actor-managers brought this idea to completely new heights. Although the actor-managers were only men for a very long time, Eliza Vestris became the first woman actor-manager of London in 1830 (V&A Museum). She was just a well known and talented as any male actor-manager around (V&A Museum). After she paved the way, several other women took the role as well. As almost every good idea has an end, this one did too. By 1914, most actor-managers were growing old or had died (V&A Museum). We can, however, see some people of modern day who take a very similar shape as an actor-manager. The first person who comes to mind is Lin Manuel-Miranda, star and director of In The Heights and Hamilton, two hit Broadway shows of the 21st century. Although actor-managers were incredibly important, they would be nowhere without the help of props, lights, and