Articles

1. Epilogues, Prayers after Plays, and Shakespeare's 2 Henry IV

   Tiffany Stern

   Epilogues to plays of Shakespeare’s period may be have been addressed to the audience, and leading up to a jig, or they may have been addressed to the Monarch if she or were present, or may have been a prayer for the Monarch. Examples are given of such epilogues.

2. An Early Pioneer of the New Drama: Charles Charrington, Actor-Manager and Fabian Socialist

   Bernard Ince

   Charrington appeared on stage from 1882 to 1912, particularly in Shaw and Ibsen. He and his wife, Janet Abchurch, were leading actors in the Ibsen campaign of the 1890s. They were in Australia from September 1889 to November 1891 with A Doll’s House. He was active in the Fabian Society, and a member of the Fabian Society Executive for a while. He lectured for the Society, eg on the “Modern Theatre” or the “Ideal Theatre”, supporting municipal theatres and eventually a National Theatre.

3. Tickets, Critics and Censorship: The Royal Court, The Spectator & The Arts Council of Great Britain 1969-70

   Graham Saunders

   In October 1969 the Royal Court withdrew complimentary tickets from Hilary Spurling, theatre critic of The Spectator. She had ridiculed the Royal Court for their Macbeth in 1966, and then in 1969 had walked out of a performance of Over Gardens Out. Several London publications then said that they would not review the Royal Court until Spurling’s complimentaries were restored. The Arts Council, who gave a substantial grant to the Royal Court, decided to withhold the grant until they were restored, saying that critics must not be censored by theatres that received a public subsidy. Details of discussions and letter are given, mainly from Arts Council Archives.