Scotland

At the beginning of the nineteenth century

Victorian era (years 1837–1901)

Plays with uniquely Scottish subjects began to prevail on stages across Scotland

This was the beginning of what is now known as Scottish "national drama." Two of the compositions with a Scottish theme that was already part of the repertory were John Home's (1756) and Ramsay's Douglas.

  • James Planché
  • Lord Chamberlain
  • Oscar Wilde

In the year 1847, a critic who went by the alias Dramaticus published a treatise under the same name in which he exposed the deplorable condition of British theater. For the most part of the first half of the 19th century, only the Patent theatrical companies were allowed to perform drama in London and provincial theaters; all other theaters were only allowed to produce musical entertainments. This restriction was in place across the United Kingdom (although magistrates had powers to license occasional dramatic performances).

A way around

However, by the early 19th century, music hall shows had gained popularity and offered a way around the prohibitions on non-patent theaters by producing melodrama that did not violate the Patent Acts because it was accompanied by music. This was a way for people to get around the restrictions that were placed on theaters that did not have patents. The Theatres Act of 1843 put an end to the monopoly that the Patent theaters had on drama. This act reduced the Lord Chamberlain's capacity to censor new plays and allowed local governments to grant licenses to theaters in whatever manner they deemed appropriate.

The 1843 Act did not apply to Ireland, where the Lord Lieutenant had the right to award patents for theaters, giving him control over theatrical plays in a manner analogous to that of the Lord Chamberlain in Great Britain. This prevented the Act from being implemented. James Planché was a prolific playwright who brought historically correct costume design to productions of Shakespeare and other great works of theater. He revolutionized these forms of theater. To accomplish this, he collaborated with historians and antiquarians to determine what was already known about ancient clothing. Dion Boucicault (1820–90) had a great influence on the development of theater by combining the most recent breakthroughs in scientific knowledge as essential elements in the stories he wrote. In 1841, he had his first piece of note published; it was a comedy in the Sheridan style. Melodrama was just one of the many subgenres he worked in during his career.

British AssuranceA turning point occurred in the latter half of the 19th century with the plays on the London stage written by the Irishmen George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde and the Norwegian Henrik Ibsen. These three authors all had an influence on the English home theater and revitalized it. In the town of Stratford upon Avon, where William Shakespeare was born, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre first opened its doors in 1879, and in 1904, Herbert Beerbohm Tree founded the Academy of Dramatic Art there. Richard D'Oyly Carte, the producer, was the one who collaborated with the librettist. S. Gilbert was instrumental in fostering the friendship that he had with the composer Arthur Sullivan.