Articles

1. Playgoers on the Outdoor Stages of Early Modern London

   Leslie Thomson

   Numerous references are known to the presence of playgoers on the stages of indoor or private theatres before 1660. A small number of references to playgoers on the stages of outdoor or public theatres is found, but it is concluded that this was not common or usual.

2. The Will of John Rich - Probate and Problems

   Terry Jenkins

   John Rich, on his death in 1761, left the management of the Covent Garden theatre to his widow Priscilla and son-in-law John Beard until the patent was sold, when the profits would be distributed equally between Priscilla and his daughters Henrietta, Charlotte, Mary and Sarah. The patent was sold in 1767 for £60,000 to George Colman and others, but in 1779 the profit had still not been distributed as annuities, so a Bill of Complaint was filed in the court of Chancery by the three sisters still living and Rich’s grandchildren. It appears that the delay was caused by amounts of money still owed to the estate, and by questions about which grandchildren were still living. The probate accounts give considerable details about Rich’s private expenditure and his family. The article includes a plan of the theatre, and properties around it owned by Rich.

3. The Other Percy Nash: Theatrical Interludes in the Life of a Film Pioneer

   Bernard Ince

   Nash made about 70 silent films between 1912 and 1927, and was involved in the creation of the Elstree Studios. He is best known for his film work, but his dramatic career began in the theatre. In the period 1886 to 1898 he worked in a wide range of shows, including pantomime, drama, comedy, and musical comedy, sometimes as a performer, but more often as a tour manager, producer or stage manager, mostly touring outside London. From 1899 to 1901 he worked for Henry Irving at the Lyceum or the Garrick, and from 1902 to 1903 for Beerbohm Tree at His Majesty’s. After several years in journalism he joined Selfridges when it opened in 1909 as Chief Receptionist, but also managing the Selfridge Operatic and Dramatic Society (SODS), producing shows for them between 1911 and 1922. A complete list of his non-film shows is given.