New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-05
THEATRICAL PROGRAMMES

Tho biz NJ the play proper is OF verv
...srt date. and according 10 PAYNE
r,ajer the practice Of printing informa-
~, as IN the time place, and nature Of
,,-4ornarces 20 he presented by the play
~ vas certainly common prior to the
.,,- 1869 They used" saws old John
y,-tbbrookc y lis treatise against
,,ss,rical performances about 1853, Ito
., m their bills upon posts some certain
avs before. 90 admonish people 10 make
.ssort % choir theatres" Originally the
-sat 10 print playbills was monopolized by
ne Stauoners' Company. and at a later
,sr.o9 the privilege was assumed and ex-
ercsea by the crown. In the Ststioners'
campanys books there is an entry Of q
Yesnse granted 20 one John Charlewoode
for the on.ve ynprinting Of all maner
Il bllss for PLAYERS, provided that If
sry trouble arvse therebye then Charlie
voode 70 bear the charges" James /
granted a patent in 1920 10 Roger Wood
ana Thomas Symcocke for the absolute
-isst u printing. among other things. "of
al bills io~ playes, pastimes, Showes.
prizes or sports whatsoever" Plavbills
4.
Piece. and q day and the hour OF the pro
posed entertainment. and il was not till
sfisr the Restoration that any piaybins
rave been traced with cast Of characters.
Vden a tragedy was given the title was
printed m red ink. mere comedy in
purple blue or homely black.
Joseph AmeS. the sntiquarv. records I'm
BIS History 90 Printing that James
Roberts. Who published several Of Shakes
psa-es works. printed bills for tho play
srs These bills were very rude SDeci-
ners % the black letter art. and We're not
banded round to the audience. but were
pasted on f.. walls interior and exterior
Of Che theatre. and on posts similar 10
hose NlIc. ur Johnson was in the habit
Of t0uc ing as no wendell his Wav down
fleet street. This custom seems 10 have
reused t'e particular indignation 90 one
puritanicsl scribb'er Of pamphlets. for he
ven, 20 rle trouble ~ writing "a Treatise
against Idleresee Vaiue PIayes and Inter-
lufes ana had e. printed in heavy type
This would probably be about 1857. and
tae writer most likely tho notorious
Henry CHetHe one Of the earliest PLAY
bills ~ wWcr We have fun record was
issued from Dru~r Lane. dated April \.
~. Tits .'a,ou runs: "Bv His Males
ties DIS COMPANY Of Comedians At the
View T.e-rr" in Drurv Lane viii he acted
q comedy called, The Humorous Lievte-
'ant Or Beaumont and Fletcher The
.ast Is given. and the bin concludes. 1.-THE
5sy VIII begin ar three o'clock exactly"
Ola as tho large and small playbiHs are
IS Programmes OF the performances the
MODERN programme proper is quite OF re-
.'nt growth. Indeed as late as 1876 a
'ana'.r critic wrote. Many managers
's'e now forbidden altogether the sale
= bills outside their Establishments"
However. programmes Of a small size.
I'D fairly deceuuy printed. were sold IN
ne stalls. dress circle and upper boxes
shoUt the year 1860 Those were certainly
. fes tire Of the Bancroft management Of
ne o.I Prince o. Wales's Theatre. when
LADY Bancroft, then Miss Marie Wilton.
pened that house in conjunction with
Henri j.. Byron, April T., 1876. with a
Winning Hazard" La Sounambula." by
Byron. and "Vaudvke Brown" Charles
ftchter who opened the Lyceum Theatre
h 49,. distributed the large ugly bills first.
olt IN ls57. when Fechter was still lessee
1 programme before US supplied and per-
'lned br Eugene Rimmel." is OF small
ec'ayo size The play was Romeo and
Juliet with Miss Alilly Palmer afterward
Mrs. BandmannJ as the Juliet. She is still
awe, for the rest the actors have their
exits Two years later at the same
'leaJre. the programme was in the form OF
large octave pamphlet. and called The
Play. A Journal Of Literary. Dramatic and
Musical Interest" Besides the names OF
nc pieces played. with a full list of the
ramatis persona, the Journal con-
'a'hed some small jokes. theatrical gossip.
ana a vast quantity OF advertisements Of
O. kinds. including some announcements
. the pieces being performed at the other
a9lses. The programme consisted Of thres
Aeces-"A Kiss in the Dark" Hamlet"
1d "A Legal Impediment." A Mr. Aller-
nn had the theatre, and played the Prince
Denmark himself This style OF pro-
Namme was initiated from the French.
'U never proved very successful, though
Many London theatres ran these little
'eekly, sometimes monthly. papers under
'sF'ous titles such as the Opera Glass"
ne Curtain" the Drop Scene" and Be
nnd and Before"