1. The Theatre of the English Restoration10
The Theatre of the
English Restoration
(© Peter Guither)

2. Jacobean and Caroline Drama
Elizabeth died 1603
King James died 1625
King Charles I
1642 – Puritans took over Parliament
Theatre outlawed
1649 Charles I beheaded
Oliver Cromwell – lord protector of England
Charles II and nobility exiled to France
Exposed to French and Italian Theatre

3. Background: The Restoration
Charles I of England removed from the throne by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans after a bitter civil war (642–1649); Charles beheaded
In 1660, Charles II, who had been living in France, was invited by a newly elected Parliament to return from exile to rule England under a restored monarchy
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4. Theatre During the Commonwealth
1642–1660, theatrical activity severely curtailed; playhouses were dismantled, actors were persecuted
Some entertainments organized secretly
William Davenant and John Webb
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5. Restoration William Davenant and Thomas Killigrew Royalists
Davenant – Oxford grad, replaced Johnson as poet laureate, knighted 1643
Killigrew – dramatists, went with king in excile. Samuel Pepy’s called him a “merry droll”
Droll- short version of full plays popular during the period the theatres were closed, usually comedies

6. The Theatre of the Restoration Begins
William Davenant (also spelled D'Avenant) and Thomas Killigrew
Emerged to take control of theatre
Both familiar with English theatrical tradition; would take English theatre in a new direction
(© National Portrait Gallery, London)
(© National Portrait Gallery, London)
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7. Theatre Royals and Patents
Charles II gave TWO patents
William Davenant – Duke's Company
Thomas Killigrew – Kings Company
Gave two men duopoly over theatre in London
Duke's company better managed
Two companies merged in 1692

8. Drury Lane
When two companies merged, they made Drury Lane home

9. Restoration Drama Serious Drama Restoration Comedy
Comedies of Intrigue
Aphra Behn
Comedies of Manners
William Wycherley
William Congreve
The Female Wits
Aphra Behn
(Billy Rose Theatre Collection, New York
Public Library at Lincoln Center, Astor,
Lenox, and Tilden Foundations)
William Wycherley
(© National Portrait Gallery, London)
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10. Type of Theatre Old plays: who owns them
Killegrew given rights to even Davenant's plays, later more fairly divided
Heroic Tragedy – extraordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances. Rarely read or performed.
Restoration Tragedy
Three unities and neoclassical rules

11. The Decline of Restoration Comedy
William and Mary
A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage – Jeremy Collier
Susanna Centlivre
George Farquhar
Susanna Centlivre
(Billy Rose Theatre Collection, New York
Public Library at Lincoln Center, Astor,
Lenox, and Tilden Foundations)
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

12. Restoration Audiences
Restoration theatregoers were quite spirited
Purchasing fruit for throwing from the “orange wenches”
Speaking back to the actors
Arranging assignations with each other
Attending the theatre to be seen, rather than to see the play
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

13. Performers Actresses and Actors Acting Companies Eleanor (Nell) Gwynn
Thomas Betterton
Anne Bracegirdle
Acting Companies
Nell Gwynn Meets King Charles II
(Bettmann/Corbis)
Anne Bracegirdle
(Mander and Mitchenson/
ArenaPAL)
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

14. Restoration Theatres Government and the Theatres
Theatre Architecture in the Restoration
Threads in Theatre History
The Drury Lane Theatre
Scenery, Scene-Shifting Technology, Costumes, and Lighting
(© Historical Picture Archive/Corbis)
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

15. Ground Plan of a Restoration Stage
© 2012, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.