On the playbill for a performance of Shakespeare's "Othello" held on 3rd April 1845 at the Huddersfield Theatre, there is a line that reads "Licensed pursuant to Act of Parliament" directly beneath the theatre's name:

http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589102.0x000002#?cv=241

Is this line in reference to early British copyright law? Currently, copyright protects the rights of authors and other creators in their artistic works, including plays, books, song lyrics, films, paintings, and software code, such that anyone who wishes to use or otherwise reproduce those works would have to gain permission from the authors and pay fees to license them. Is the word "licensed" being used here to indicate that the manager of the theatre is staging a legal performance of "Othello" (i.e. one that doesn't infringe upon copyright law), or does it simply mean that the Huddersfield Theatre is allowed to be open for business and serve a public audience?

    I'm not an expert but I'd think it relates to the venue being licenced to host performances of Shakespeare. For a long time, spoken dramas were very restricted, which is partly why there were so many burlettas and other forms of musical and non-drama performances. That changed in 1843, not that long before this playbill.

    There's more information at https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/18th-century-british-theatre and https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/19th-century-theatre

    And a bit more info on the licensing laws that bookend that period of theatrical history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licensing_Act_1737 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatres_Act_1843

    And a quirk of British history is that plays were still regulated until quite late https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatres_Act_1968

    The British Library has the Lord Chamberlain's collection - we've always wanted to do a project with it but it hasn't worked out so far.

    You've got me wondering about copyright history for plays now - so many performances are adaptations from earlier performances, or of published works like Dickens' serialised novels (sometimes even making up the ending if he hadn't published it yet)

    5 days later

    Thank you for all of these great links, Mia! You've given me much more to explore and consider.

    Yes, that was my suspicion as well, that, as you say, the phrase "Licensed pursuant to Act of Parliament" pertains to the venue being allowed to stage performances. Copyright law, both its history and its scope, is a fascinating subject, as it's continually evolving to meet the advances of technology, especially now with some much digital content and virtual means of disseminating information.

    That is interesting about the early restrictions imposed on spoken dramas and the direct effect of that being an abundance of musicals, burlettas, and non-drama productions. I'd wondered why there were quite so many and had put down to the appeal of upbeat, comical, or otherwise light entertainment to wide audiences. That historical fact really helps put this trend into context.

    I will check out the Restoration/18th Century Literature and the Romantics and Victorians collections for more information. Thanks, again!

    I'm glad the links helped!

    The licence restrictions were one of the reasons we chose genre transcription as a task - there were so many creative responses that went beyond simple categorisation.

    By the way I don't know if you're on twitter but I was inspired by your other question to go find resources from a range of other institutions: https://twitter.com/LibCrowds/status/1262093099616141317

    5 days later

    Yeah, it was really interesting to read about the roles that the Licensing Act of 1737 and the Theatres Act of 1843 (or The Theatre Regulation Act) played in legally restricting what playwrights could write about in their plays and what actors could say on the stage. The articles describe the broad purview that the office of the Lord Chamberlain had with regards to theatrical censorship. It's pretty incredible, and that those statutes were only reversed with the Theatres Act of 1968! It's hard to imagine the theatrical world's creativity, range of perspectives and styles, and array of talent being given enough room to thrive and be enjoyed by vast audiences if the Theatre Regulation Act still existed today. It makes me think of the mission behind the nonprofit PEN International, in championing the freedom of worldwide creative expression.

    No, I am not on Twitter, but I was able to check out your post. Thanks for sharing the link and taking the time to pull from other institutions! So, the spelling of "Physic" in the title "Love, Law & Physic" was not a typo, but part of a common phrase and popular illustration. That is good to know! I did wonder.

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