The Standard Theatre of Victorian England
By: Allan Stuart Jackson.
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Rutherford [N.J.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 360
Subjects: Standard Theatre (Shoreditch, London, England); Theater -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century; Shoreditch (London, England) -- Buildings, structures, etc; Shoreditch (London, England) -- History
Description: This is the first major study of the Douglass family of England and the institution of the National Standard Theatre. It includes an examination of the theatrical aesthetics of the mid-Victorian theatre and the methods used by the Douglasses to achieve their success, as well as biographical material on a number of the actors and actresses and on the Douglass family itself.

The National Standard Theatre was located in Shoreditch, in east London, and stood very near to the site of Shakespeare's original Theatre. First built in 1835 and then rebuilt three times, it remained at that location until 1939. Between 1851 and the theatre's end, it was one of the largest theatres in the world, holding more than five thousand patrons. Under the management of the Douglass family from 1848 to 1889, records of several kinds were set, such as attendance and box office success, and achievement in quality and staging was reached.

The Douglasses were considered among the top theatre managers of the mid-Victorian period, providing thousands of patrons a week with the best dramas, actors, and productions of the period. Favorites of the East End audiences were James Anderson, Mrs. Robert Honner, Samuel Phelps, and Miss Glyn. Dion Boucicault and Charles and Ellen Kean also appeared, as well as George Washington "Pony" Moore and his Christy Minstrels. Sims Reeves with his operas in English were summer fixtures at the Standard.

Christmas pantomimes were critical to the financial health of the Victorian theatres, and the Standard's were usually considered to be magnificent, especially the Douglass pantomimes, which were always rated among the top two or three in the city. Richard Douglass, the family scene designer, was one of the principal scenic artists of England between 1870 and 1910. His studio provided settings for many theatres throughout the country as well as all of the settings required in the family business.

The last chapters of this work detail the surprising naturalistic staging techniques that were developed after 1879. These included railway trains on tracks, ocean liners, real water scenes on rivers and ocean shores, fox hunts with a real "trained" fox, hounds and riders on horseback taking the hedges, plus horse races and a multitude of other effects of the type that later became part of the cinema.

This book is illustrated with pictures of the people, settings, and architecture associated with the National Standard Theatre. In addition, there are some of the original watercolor scene designs painted by Richard Douglass himself, including a moving panorama showing change of place, weather, and time; two back cloths or act drop designs; and a number of scenic views of the British countryside as designs for dioramas or stage settings.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [352]-354) and index.