The V&A's Theatre and Performance collections chart the history of theatre in Britain from the middle ages to today. From early dramatics forms such as mystery plays and court masques, to the alternative and 'in yer face' drama of the late 20th century.
A History of a Night at the Theatre
Drama in Britain grew of out church services at Easter from the 10th century onwards. By the 14th century mystery cycles of plays based on the Bible were performed outside …
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Early Theatre
Most early theatre in England was religious and evolved from the liturgical drama of the 10th and 11th centuries. After the Reformation, religious drama was suppressed and …
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Elizabethan Theatre
In the late 16th century all classes of society (apart from royalty) visited the public theatres. The new theatres were popular and their audiences had a voracious appetite…
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17th-Century Theatre
The 17th century was a turbulent time for British theatre, from lavish court masques to the closure of the theatres under Cromwell and the decadence of Restoration drama.
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18th-Century Theatre
During the 18th century theatre flourished as a popular pastime and many theatres were enlarged and new playhouses built in London and the provinces. One of the most succes…
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19th-Century Theatre
The 19th century was the age of a truly popular theatre. New theatres opened to satisfy a demand for entertainment from the workers who flooded into the major cities as the…
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Theatre Posters
The term ‘poster’ originates from the medieval period when brief hand-written details of performances were handed out and stuck to posts in towns. By 1576, when the first p…
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Variety: An Illustrated History of the World from the Most Important Magazine in Hollywood
An illuminating view of the world as seen through the tinted lens of Hollywood’s most important chronicler of entertainment newsand show bus…
Buy nowEvent - Going Underground: 150 Years of the History, Design, and Architecture of the London Underground
Sat 16 November 2013 10:30
STUDY DAY: 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the first London tube line, the Metropolitan Railway. Join us for an event, as we bring together curators and historians to explore the rich and fascinating history of the London Underground.
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