Hi all! In looking for reviews of some of the performances featured in the volumes, I've been spending a lot of time looking at periodicals such as the Theatrical Times and the Era, and got to thinking about the variations in when theatres were open for their seasons. Below is an infographic (and link to live version) based on information I have for a selection of regional theatres and the dates which they were open in 1846.
Digging into the openings and closings of the different theatres has provided some really interesting context for what was going on behind the scenes when these playbills were being produced, and how popular the performances were proving to be. For instance in Liverpool, which had several different theatres, the Royal Liver Theatre's season was 'prematurely brought to a close' due to poor attendance, with the Theatrical Times stating that it 'is shut up, the game is over’ on August 22nd!
This is just a selection of the theatres covered in 1846, I deliberately chose to feature ones which were linked to the volumes or had some appropriately theatrical moments, such as opening and closing several times in a season.
https://infogram.com/theatredates-1hnq41ldd8qk23z?live
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