Dr Robert Kenny, who received an STR grant for his work on Francisque Moylin, and who has recently published an essay for us on Arlequin Balourd, is giving a talk on April 13 about Dr Johnson, Francophobia and the Haymarket Riot of October 1738. It will take place at 2.30 on Saturday 13 April, in the Board Room of the Charles Dickens Museum, 48 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LX.  Non-members will be welcome, of course. It will also be available on Zoom (but only at the scheduled time).  For more information and a Zoom link if required, email the membership secretary, Chris Ogden, memse ..read more

Call for Papers: Popular Entertainments: the Past in our Presence Saturday, May 11th 2024 London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) Produced by the Society for Theatre Research in collaboration with LAMDA. Lively and often rambunctious spectacles such as seaside Pierrot shows, music hall, flea circuses, puppet shows and circus have delighted audiences, but the significance of ‘popular entertainment’ has often been marginalised in many conventional theatre histories. This Study Day invites practitioners, theatre-makers, scholars and the curious to celebrate the appeal of popular enterta ..read more

  Natalie Ibu & Amanda Huxtable   The Society for Theatre Research invites you to celebrate Women’s History Month and to join us for this discussion with director Karen Tomlin. In Conversation: Karen Tomlin: The Conundrum of the Black Female Theatre Director Wednesday 20th March 7.30-8.30pm   St. Anne’s Church (Allen Room) 55 Dean St. London W1D 6AF Karen Tomlin’s research explores how both wider social histories and the structures of institutions have shaped perceptions of female black British directors’ skills, knowledge, expertise and interests within the ..read more

In collaboration with Unicorn Publishing Group, the Society for Theatre Research is delighted to announce its Annual Publication for 2023-24 A Sense of Theatre: The Untold Story of Britain’s National Theatre by Richard Pilbrow   A SENSE OF THEATRE is an eye-witness account of the birth and subsequent triumph of one of the world’s most famous theatres. Since the iconic building opened in 1976 on London’s South Bank, the National Theatre’s deployment of extraordinary architecture and exemplary theatrical talent has drawn audiences worldwide. However, the 100-year dream of a national theatre ..read more

The Farnham Theatre Association (FTA), a member of the STR, has recently published an account of Farnham’s two repertory theatres. A Tale of Two Theatres – told by those who knew Farnham’s Castle and Redgrave Theatres – compiled by Anne Cooper. Anne Cooper, FTA Chairman says:  “As compiler of these histories, I have relied on people’s voices who really did know the theatres from the inside – actors, directors and audiences and the volunteers.  It is their words that really give life to the story. Pictures also help tell the tale.  Many photographs (some in colour) are from the a ..read more

From BBC dramas and Netflix series to luxurious cinematic blockbusters and Bollywood period films, public audiences continue to engage with fascinating eighteenth-century figures, both real and fictional. Such depictions are often the first encounter many will have with the eighteenth century. While some eighteenth-century enthusiasts’ recoil at historical inaccuracies, many see this as an opportunity to engage public audiences, supplying an entrance into discussions of the eighteenth century. Indeed, media entertainment in itself can be a vehicle to both explore and imagine gaps surviving his ..read more

A new piece for our Occasional Essays series: On 16 February 1719, playgoers at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket witnessed an event which is probably unique in the annals of Anglo-French theatre history: the premiere of a comedy performed, in French, by a company of French actors: Arlequin Balourd This latest addition to our series of Occasional Essays is written by Robert Kenny, who received STR Research Grants towards his work on the actor-manager François Moylin, known as Francisque, who also played the Arlequin of the title. Read his article here If you would like to contribute to this ..read more

Is there an element within your research topics that deals with an aspect of the British theatre which would make it eligible? Topics we can consider include buildings, people, historical or contemporary concerns, theories and practices, and all kinds of performance arts, as long as there is a connection with theatre in Britain or British theatre people. We invite all engaged in theatre research to apply – for example you may be an early career academic needing help with a particular piece of research, or an independent scholar digging up traces of local theatre or performers, in which case th ..read more

During the Victorian period, many popular plays were reproduced in toy theatre formats.  Publishers such as Benjamin Pollock and William Webb created miniature versions of theatres as well as the characters, costumes and scenery of the original productions.  Such toy theatres served both as souvenirs and enabled families to recreate a favourite production at home.  After Pollock’s death in 1937, many of his toy theatre publications remained in print and Pollock’s Toy Museum, first in Covent Garden and later in Fitzrovia, served to educate and delight new generations. Alan Powers ..read more

The London Theatre Seminar is an inter-collegiate seminar hosted by the Centre for Contemporary Theatre and attracts participants from all theatre departments in London. The seminar is a public forum for the development of theatre and performance scholarship and its inter-collegiate and collaborative aspects are central to the productively speculative nature of its enquiry. SAVE THE DATES: LONDON THEATRE SEMINAR 2024 The Centre for Contemporary Theatre are pleased to announce London Theatre Seminar’s forthcoming 2024 schedule, which will feature a range of provocative and challenging talks, pa ..read more