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Staging History

1780-1840
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Staging History explores how late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century stage dramas vividly brought historical events to life, from the Revolutionary War to the French Revolution. Showcasing ambitious productions like Sadler's Well's Great Siege of Gibraltar with its water tanks and live cannon fire, the book draws on extensive new research to examine theatrical documents and visual materials. It reveals how these performances shaped popular understandings of history through powerful vocal performances and striking visual spectacle.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to readers interested in theatre history, musicology, historical performance, and the cultural interpretation of history through the arts.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This illustrated volume, researched and written by experts in the field, explores contemporary theatrical documents (playbills, set designs, musical scores) and images (paintings, prints and illustrations) in seeking to explain what counted as history and historical truth for the writers, performers and audiences of these plays.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Throughout the late-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, historical events were tremendously popular as adaptations for the stage. From the Revolutionary War to the French Revolution, stage dramas brought history vividly to life through powerful vocal performances and visual spectacle. The scale of the production was often ambitious, such as a Sadler's Well staging of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which featured a large water tank with floating vessels. Another production on the same topic added live cannons, which set fire to the vessels during the performance!

Drawing on copious new research, Staging History reexamines extraordinary theatrical works of the period to show the role they played in shaping popular interpretations of history. Editors Michael Burden, Wendy Heller, Jonathan Hicks, and Ellen Lockhart are joined by other experts in the field in analyzing theatrical documents, including playbills, set designs, and musical scores, as well as paintings, prints, and other illustrations, in order to explore what counted as historical truth for the writers, performers, and audiences of these plays.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for uncovering a rarely explored theatrical world, this volume excels in its focus on performance contexts, including acting, costuming, scenography, and especially music, backed by over 70 rare illustrations. Reviewers highlight its insightful blend of theatre history, musicological analysis, and scenographic innovation, providing a vivid sense of theatre's multi-sensory impact and setting a new standard for scholarship in this area.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781851244560

Publisher: Bodleian Library

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 October 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bodleian Library

Illustration: 74 Illustrations, color

Contributors:

  • Edited by Wendy Heller
  • Edited by Ellen Lockhart
  • Edited by Jonathan Hicks
  • Edited by Michael Burden

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 210.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 672g

Pages: 224

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Michael Burden is Professor in Opera Studies at Oxford University, Fellow in Music at New College, and Chair, Faculty of Music Board. Wendy Heller is Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at Princeton University. Jonathan Hicks is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Music Department at Kings College London. Ellen Lockhart is Assistant Professor of Musicology at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.

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