Introduction 18th Century Plays Shakespeare in the 18th Century David Garrick Stage Censorship

Rehearsing in the Green Room

The 18th century saw the flourishing of theatre as a popular pastime, and many theatres were enlarged. When built by Christopher Wren in 1674 Drury Lane had held less than 1,000 people. In 1794 it was rebuilt to hold 3000. New playhouses were constructed across London and the first playhouses also opened in the provinces; in 1705 in Bath, 1729 in Bristol, 1734 in York and 1736 in Ipswich. It was David Garrick who had the most impact on the development of 18th century drama. Under his management Drury Lane became a quasi-national theatre.

Comedy and Tragedy

'The Bad Taste of the Town'

Acting Style

The acting style in tragedy during the first half of the 18th century was formal. The actors assumed poses and declaimed their lines in a sort of sing-song manner. They dressed in modern fashionable clothes for most plays, and there was fierce rivalry between actresses as to who had the finest dress.

Venice Preserved

The Farmer's Return

From the 1740s David Garrick introduced a more naturalistic and lively style of acting which challenged and eventually replaced the formal gestures and orotund speech. The new realism was inspired by Charles Macklin and David Garrick, who was able to exact great emotional empathy from his audiences.

Royal Fireworks

Quin as Coriolanus

Philippe J.de Loutherbourg

Garrick appointed Philippe J.de Loutherbourg as Drury Lane’s scene designer in 1772, and together they reformed the staging of plays by improving lighting, settings and costumes. De Loutherbourg began to experiment with placing coloured silks in front of oil lamps to alter the colour of his sets on stage. More importantly he also designed complex and elaborate sets for individual plays. He was one of the first to see design as an integral part of a theatre production. At this time many new plays used only a few stock exterior and interior scenes. De Loutherbourg ’s painted sets broke away from the symmetrical design of neo-classical theatre to achieve a more naturalistic effect.

Scene from Omai

Toy Theatre Showing Pizarro

Other popular form of entertainment in the 18th century were pantomime which also promoted the development of spectacular staging, slapstick and special effects, and equestrian entertainment at Astley’s Amphitheatre which gave birth to circus. Performances were also seen in the fairs and pleasure gardens of London.

Bartholomew Fair

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens