HISTORY OF RESTORATION DRAMA (GROUP 7)

HISTORY OF RESTORATION DRAMA

With Puritan reign in England, from 1642, the theatres of England remained closed. Plays were banned for the next eighteen years and although there was evasion of the law and underground playhouses like the ‘Red Bull’ continued to flourish, the period between 1642 and 1660 was mostly sans theatre.

In 1660 the Stuart dynasty was restored to the throne of England and with Charles II as king, the revival of theatre gradually came about. During his exile in France, he had enjoyed French theatre, and on his return to England, made sure theatre was restored. “Grasping the ideological value of the stage, Charles took an active interest in Restoration theatre from the start” Hence, as we see, one of the main factors that led to the success of Restoration theatre was the support of Charles II.

 In August, 1660, Charles II issued patents for two companies of actors and the performances began immediately. The period of Restoration was known as the renewal of British theatre and led by the companies of William Davenant and Thomas Killigrew, theatre in England was revived.

Due to the patents issued to them by the king, Killigrew and Davenant were given the right to build a theatre in London or Westminster and to establish and manage a company of actors to perform in it; Killigrew's actors were named the King's Company, and Davenant's were known as the Duke of York's. For a long time, these two companies monopolized theatre of the Restoration period.

~ Written by Srishti Banerjee (1313287)

Group 7