Bevis, Richard. English Drama: 1660-1789.
Essex: Longman Group UK Ltd, 1988.
This work provides a survey of English drama during the 18th century, much like
The Revels History. However, Bevis expands upon the introductory precepts outlined
in The Revels History, offering a revisionist perspective. This text offers
a detailed depiction of the theatrical conventions of the time period.
Bevis, Richard. The Laughing Tradition: Stage Comedy in Garrick's Day.
Athens: University of Georgia Press,
1980.
This book investigates the comedic tradition particular to Restoration English
theatre. Bevis focuses on the tastes of the audience as a leading factor in
which comedies were produced, but also discusses what types of comedy were available
at the time. This book discusses specific plays that were performed, along with
how they were received.
Craik, T.W., et al. The Revels History of Drama in English. Vol. 5.
London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1976.
This book is a survey of drama in 18th century London, encompassing the aspects
of theatre, dress, actors/actresses, attitudes, etc. It will be used as a general
guide to the realities of theatre and the people who attended. Full of visual
aids, this book illuminates the eclectic components of 18th century British
theatre.
Dobbs, Brian. Drury Lane: Three Centuries of the Theatre Royal 1663-1971.
London: Cassell & Co Ltd, 1972.
This book gives a survey of the major productions, managers, and acting companies
of the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane. Drury Lane was a quintessential theatre
during the Restoration, and was overwhelming popularity at the time. This book
includes manuscripts, portrayals of major actors, and important elements of
British theatre that have been subject to drastic change over time.
Henderson,Tony. Disorderly Women in Eighteenth-Century London.
London:Longman Publishers, 1999.
This book makes important connections between "disorderly women" and the theatre.
Many women used the theatre to sell their services, either displayed on the
stage or as orange girls in the aisles. It provides a distinct perspective into
theatre-going culture that was prevalent in England.
Parker, Derek. Nell Gwyn.
Guildford: Sutton Publishing Ltd., 2000.
This biography of Nell Gwyn also makes mention of several other important Restoration
actors and actresses, and her relationships to them. It includes pictures and
other visual aids, as well as a fairly detailed glimpse into her life with Charles
II.
Richards, Kenneth and Thomson, Peter, ed. Essays on the Eighteenth-Century
English Stage.
London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1972.
This work consists of eleven published papers, taken from the second Manchester
Symposium on Theatre. The papers reflect different aspects of the English stage
during the 18th century, including different theatre personalities, acting styles,
types of scenery, and especially the theatres of Drury Lane and Covent Garden.
These papers approach the 18th century English stage from a culturally specific
point of view.
Stone, Winchester, ed. The Stage and the Page: London's "Whole Show" in
the Eighteenth-Century Theatre.
Berkeley: University of California Press,
1981.
This book demonstrates both how the dramatic text and the stage presentation
(aesthetic effect) worked together, contributing to the theatrical experience
as a whole. It is useful in depicting to forms of comedy, farce, stage structure,
scene and design, orchestra and song, dance, and theatrical norms.
Thomas, David, ed. Restoration and Georgian England.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1989.
This book provides a thorough and comprehensive history of England during 120
years of theatrical activity. It particularly connects the politics of this
time period to the theatre itself, in both a literary and a cultural sense.
Filled with documents, manuscripts, testimonies, and the like, it is an excellent
primary source on the intricacies of theatre culture of the 17th and 18th centuries.
This book contains the important patents relating to theatre such as the Killigrew
Patent as well as important acts such as the Licensing Act of 1737.