A journal of the history and technique of the British theatre, exploring a wide interpretation of theatrical activities, covering buildings, performers, techniques, theory and practice connected with British and British-related theatre.
The History of Whirligig Theatre
Theatre Notebook is a journal of the history and technique of the British theatre. It interprets theatre widely, covering theatrical activities inside and outside theatre buildings, professional and amateur theatre, the business of theatre, stage design, the history of theatre buildings, acting technique, and theatre outside the British Isles that relates directly to the history and technique of British theatre.
The Editors of Theatre Notebook welcome offers of contributions that record, analyse, reinterpret and celebrate the achievements of British theatre practitioners from any period, including the very recent past. Essays that focus purely on dramatic literature are not considered.
The Editors recognise the crucial importance of a scholarly approach to facts and interpretation but have no theoretical preferences, recognising the importance of representing a wide spectrum of contemporary positions.
Theatre Notebook is published by the STR three times a year and distributed to subscribers. Back Issues can be bought separately. Browse the Back Issue index and order from there.
It is published as a paper journal (also available on Project Muse), with occasional essays also published on the website here.
All enquiries and offers of contributions should be addressed to the editor, Trevor Griffiths. See below for details of submission criteria.
Binders are available for back issues. Each binder holds two volumes (6 issues) of Theatre Notebook, plus relevant contents and indices inserts. To buy these, click on the relevant link.
£6 inc p+p in the UK
£7.50 inc p+p for Overseas.
Vol. 78, No. 1 (pp. 1-84, 2024)
“Blackguardism” and “Surrey fooleries”? David Osbaldiston’s Management of Covent Garden, 1835-37
Stephen Ridgwell
An Unknown Painting of Macklin as Shylock?
Laurence Senelick
Performing Masculinity: The Toy Theatre Playbooks of Hodgson & Company, London, 1822-1824
Margaret Lock
* “And let’s ramble”: Fantastic street Scenography in the Rover, by Kate Aughterson
* Unexpected Georgian Theatre: The Case of Arundel, West Sussex, by Colin Chambers
* The Stratford Roundhouse: Stratford’s Forgotten Theatre, by Abigail Rokison-Woodall
* St Aubyn Miller Revisited: Negotiating Work and Interpersonal Relationships in the Life of an Itinerant Actor-Dramatist, 1889-1929, by Bernard Ince
* A Play “for Our Times” and its “Explosive Setting”: The Genesis of Arnold Wesker’s Blood Libel, by Axel Stähler
* Boswell, Addison’s Cato, and The ‘Minute Philosopher’, by Melvyn New, Robert G. Walker
* “One of the Last of the Classical Actresses”: Lillah McCarthy (1875–1960), by John Carpenter
* Rediscovering H. G. Pélissier (1874–1913): A Concert Party Impresario and Satirist on The West End Stage, by Anthony Binns
* Body Parts: Theatrical Supernumeraries and the Politics of Performance, by Sara Reimers
* A “Room to Make a Row in”: Establishing the Origins of Chatworth’s Theatre, by Louise Calf
* What is Missing from Henry Savile Clarke’s Musical Dreamplay Alice in Wonderland?, by Catherine Richards
Members of the Society for Theatre Research receive Theatre Notebook as a matter of course, along with the Annual Publication, discounts on STR books, and the facility to publicise their own interests, research, and queries.
If you or your organisation require a subscription to Theatre Notebook without membership of the Society, choose ‘Theatre Notebook Only’ on the ‘Join and renew’ page, link below.
Theatre Notebook is published by the STR three times a year. As a journal of the history and technique of the British theatre, we are prepared to consider work on a wide variety of topics concerned with theatre history and practice, but we do not publish essays that are mainly or solely concerned with dramatic literature or literary criticism of play texts.
We do not prescribe maximum or minimum lengths for essays and we welcome essays at any time of the year. We aim to respond to authors within a month, but at particularly busy times that may not always be possible.
Please note, articles should be formatted in accordance with Modern Language Association of America (MLA) style. British spelling should be used and the first names of all persons referred to should be given when they are first mentioned.
Essays will be considered anonymously so they should not contain any identification within the article itself, although we will need a short biographical note about the author when an article is accepted for publication. Authors should confirm that they have obtained and met the cost of any relevant permissions.
Essays that deserve widespread scholarly distribution but are tied to a particular event or date may be considered for publication in our new Occasional Essays section.
All enquiries about contributions are welcome, and should be directed to
theatrenotebook@str.org.uk
or write to
Trevor Griffiths
Theatre Notebook
4 Warner Road
LONDON N8 7HD
The STR website is proud to introduce a new series of occasional essays that will provide an outlet for material that deserves widespread scholarly distribution but is tied to a particular event or date.