Early theatre: Religious drama
Most early theatre in England was religious and evolved from the liturgical drama of the 10th and 11th centuries. T…
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Early theatre: The rise of secular drama
The history of secular drama in 16th-century Britain from the court entertainment of Henry VIII intended to impress…
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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 …
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The court masque
The most lavish 17th-century productions were not open to the public. King James I and later his son Charles I comm…
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The closure of theatres in the 17th century
In 1642 civil war broke out in England and theatres were closed to prevent public disorder. The theatres remained c…
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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 c…
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Restoration drama
After Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, the theatres of Britain we re-opened. Audiences had a preferen…
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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 …
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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 …
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Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop was created by a group of actors committed to a left wing ideology. Directed by Joan Littlewood they devised and commissioned plays by and about the working class in the UK. The group experimented with physical approaches to characterisation, drawing on the work of Rudolf Laban, and drew many of their actors from non-theatrical backgrounds.
Modern theatre: Physical and visual theatre
In the 1980s companies began to experiment with a more physical type of theatre. They wanted to get away from the restraints of realistic and naturalistic drama and create an energetic visual theatre that combined strong design with choreography and physical imagery. Influenced by the work of Philippe Gaulier and Jacques Lecoq, companies such as Theatre de Complicite applied their style to the reworking of classic texts and created new work in collaboration with writers.
Theatre design reading list
Recommended reading list about theatre design
Tudor and Stuart theatre reading list
Recommended reading about Tudor and Stuart Theatre
Design and design history study guide
Recommended resources for finding information on design and design history, and how to find design drawings in the V&A collections.
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age
31 March–12 August 2012
Showcasing over 300 British design objects, this exhibition celebrates the best of British post-war art and design from the 1948 ‘Austerity Games' to the summer of 2012.
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Japanese Fashion: A Cultural History
The first full history of the last two hundred years of Japanese clothing.
Buy nowEvent - Theatre & Performance Galleries Tour
Fri 19 February 2010–Mon 31 December 2012
TOUR: Take a guided tour of the V&A's exciting theatre and performance collections, including rock & pop posters, theatre and ballet costumes, puppets, stage sets and more! See new costumes from the Lion King now on display.
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