Licensing Act 1737
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| - | The '''Theatres Act 1843''' (6 & 7 Vict., c. 68) (also known as the '''Theatre Regulation Act''') was an [[Act of Parliament]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. It amended the regime established under the [[Licensing Act 1737]] for the licensing of the [[theatre]] in the UK, implementing the proposals made by a [[Select Committee (Westminster System)|select committee]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in 1832. | + | :''[[theatre censorship]]'' |
| + | The '''Licensing Act''' or '''Theatrical Licensing Act''' of 21 June 1737 (citation ''10 Geo. II c. 28'') was a landmark act of [[censorship]] of the [[United Kingdom|British]] stage and one of the most determining factors in the development of [[Augustan drama]]. The terms of the Act were that from that point forward, the [[Lord Chamberlain]] had the power to approve any play before it was staged. | ||
| - | Under the [[Licensing Act 1737]] (10 Geo.II, c. 28), the [[Lord Chamberlain]] was granted the ability to vet the performance of any new plays: he could prevent any new play, or any modification to an existing play, from being performed for any reason, and was not required to justify his decision. New plays were required to be submitted to the Lord Chamberlain for a licence before they could be performed, and theatre owners could be prosecuted for staging a play (or part of a play) that had not received prior approval. A licence, once granted, could be also withdrawn. The Licensing Act 1737 also limited spoken drama to the [[patent theatre]]s, originally only the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] and [[Theatre Royal, Covent Garden]] in [[London]]. The regime was relaxed slightly by the Theatrical Representations Act 1788, under which local [[magistrate]]s were permitted to license occasional performances for periods of up to 60 days. | + | ==Robert Walpole== |
| + | ===Political control=== | ||
| + | Specifically, the Licensing Act arose out of the political control of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] held by [[Robert Walpole]]. The period 1736–37 was the height of Walpole's power as [[First Lord of the Treasury]] (or, as some termed him in a slightly derogatory manner, the "[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]]"), and Walpole was under incessant attack by the [[Tory]] satirists and the radical [[British Whig Party|Whig]] theorists alike. [[John Gay]]'s ''[[Beggar's Opera]]'' (1728) had linked Walpole with the notorious mobster [[Jonathan Wild]], and Walpole had banned prior to acting the sequel play, ''Polly.'' Henry Fielding's ''[[Tom Thumb]]'' (1730) and ''Covent Garden Tragedy'' (1732) took more specific aim at Walpole. Further, political plays with the theme of "liberty" were often coded attacks on domination by great men. The great man in question was often Walpole as the king. [[Henry Carey]]'s ''[[Chrononhotonthologos]]'' (1734) seemingly attacked Robert Walpole and linked him with an intrigue with the Queen, and his ''[[The Dragon of Wantley]]'' revived a 17th century ballad to protest the extension of Walpole's powers and oppression of the countryside. | ||
| - | The Theatres Act 1843 restricted the powers of the Lord Chamberlain, so that he could only prohibit the performance of plays where he was of the opinion that "it is fitting for the preservation of good manners, decorum or of the public peace so to do". It also gave additional powers to [[local authority|local authorities]] to license theatres, breaking the monopoly of the patent theatres and encouraging the development of popular theatrical entertainments, such as saloon theatres attached to [[public house]]s and [[music hall]]s. | + | ===Antagonism=== |
| + | Robert Walpole, sometimes called "the first Prime Minister," had a personally antagonistic relationship with some of the dramatists (such as John Gay), and he responded to literary attacks with official power. Few British ministers would be as adversarial with wits and authors for quite some time, and his censoring of plays critical of him led to ever-more aggressive satires. Thus, the urbane satire of ''The Beggar's Opera'' was replaced by the much more mocking satire of ''Tom Thumb,'' the salaciousness of ''Chrononhotonthologos,'' and the bitterness of ''The Dragon of Wantley.'' In the year of the Act, Henry Fielding's ''[[Pasquin]]'' again attacked Walpole, although its attack was, by that time, a continuation of complaints. However, ''A Vision of the Golden Rump'' was a continuation of this war of words and an upping of the stakes, and Walpole's Whig Party response was to cite that play and its scatology as a rationale for shutting down all plays that might be possibly read as critical of the crown or Parliament. The Act closed all non-[[patent theatre]]s and required all plays to be passed before performance. | ||
| - | The regime established by the 1843 Act was considered by a select committee of the House of Commons in 1866, and two Parliamentary Joint [[Select Committee (Westminster System)|Select Committee]]s, in 1909 and then in 1966, and various reforms were proposed, but no changes were implemented until the Act was finally repealed by the [[Theatres Act 1968]]. | + | ==Banning of ''Gustavus Vasa''== |
| + | Although many plays and playwrights (including [[Henry Fielding]]) have been suggested as the cause of the act, debates on the Act mentioned the play ''A Vision of the Golden Rump,'' a raucous attack on the current [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] whose author is unknown. | ||
| - | As of 2007, the licensing of venues for public entertainments is dealt with together with licensing of premises for the sale of alcohol, under the provisions of the [[Licensing Act 2003]]. | + | The first play to be banned by the Licensing Act was ''Gustavus Vasa'' by [[Henry Brooke (writer)|Henry Brooke]]. [[Samuel Johnson]] wrote an attack on the Licensing Act entitled ''A Complete Vindication of the Licensers of the British Stage'' that was a parody of the position for censorship. Brooke's ''Gustavus Vasa'' was not particularly savage or dark, and it took relatively few liberties. However, his previous ''The Earl of Essex'' had been perceived as highly political, and therefore ''Gustavus Vasa'' was banned. |
| + | |||
| + | ==Effects of the Act== | ||
| + | ===Public mistrust=== | ||
| + | The effects of the Licensing Act were profound. The public mistrusted plays that passed the censors. One effect was that the plays that were passed were more domestically oriented, more sentimental, and, aside from [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] and [[Oliver Goldsmith]], who both wrote old-style plays, authors of melodrama enjoyed greatest success. Arguably, the Licensing Act created an immediate vacuum of new plays to perform, and this left theaters with little option but to stage revivals. The number of productions of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] plays staged in the 1740s was far higher than previously (one fourth of all plays performed in the decade). <ref>Box, Pit and Gallery, James J. Lynch, pub. 1953 pg 57</ref> | ||
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| + | ===Writing of novels=== | ||
| + | Additionally, the Licensing Act diverted politically interested authors away from the stage and into writing [[novel]]s. Fielding and Brooke are only two of the authors who turned their energies to novel writing. Many other novelists, such as [[Tobias Smollett]] and [[Laurence Sterne]], never approached the stage. Prior to the Licensing Act, theater was the first choice for most wits. After it, the novel was. The Act was not solely responsible for the transformation of the British stage in the 18th century away from satire and toward lofty and "sentimental" subject matter, but it was responsible for stopping one of the theatrical movements away from sentiment and domestic tragedy. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Augustan drama]] | ||
| + | *[[Restoration comedy]] | ||
| + | *[[Augustan literature]] | ||
| + | *[[Henry Brooke (writer)|Henry Brooke]] | ||
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The Licensing Act or Theatrical Licensing Act of 21 June 1737 (citation 10 Geo. II c. 28) was a landmark act of censorship of the British stage and one of the most determining factors in the development of Augustan drama. The terms of the Act were that from that point forward, the Lord Chamberlain had the power to approve any play before it was staged.
Contents |
Robert Walpole
Political control
Specifically, the Licensing Act arose out of the political control of the House of Commons held by Robert Walpole. The period 1736–37 was the height of Walpole's power as First Lord of the Treasury (or, as some termed him in a slightly derogatory manner, the "prime minister"), and Walpole was under incessant attack by the Tory satirists and the radical Whig theorists alike. John Gay's Beggar's Opera (1728) had linked Walpole with the notorious mobster Jonathan Wild, and Walpole had banned prior to acting the sequel play, Polly. Henry Fielding's Tom Thumb (1730) and Covent Garden Tragedy (1732) took more specific aim at Walpole. Further, political plays with the theme of "liberty" were often coded attacks on domination by great men. The great man in question was often Walpole as the king. Henry Carey's Chrononhotonthologos (1734) seemingly attacked Robert Walpole and linked him with an intrigue with the Queen, and his The Dragon of Wantley revived a 17th century ballad to protest the extension of Walpole's powers and oppression of the countryside.
Antagonism
Robert Walpole, sometimes called "the first Prime Minister," had a personally antagonistic relationship with some of the dramatists (such as John Gay), and he responded to literary attacks with official power. Few British ministers would be as adversarial with wits and authors for quite some time, and his censoring of plays critical of him led to ever-more aggressive satires. Thus, the urbane satire of The Beggar's Opera was replaced by the much more mocking satire of Tom Thumb, the salaciousness of Chrononhotonthologos, and the bitterness of The Dragon of Wantley. In the year of the Act, Henry Fielding's Pasquin again attacked Walpole, although its attack was, by that time, a continuation of complaints. However, A Vision of the Golden Rump was a continuation of this war of words and an upping of the stakes, and Walpole's Whig Party response was to cite that play and its scatology as a rationale for shutting down all plays that might be possibly read as critical of the crown or Parliament. The Act closed all non-patent theatres and required all plays to be passed before performance.
Banning of Gustavus Vasa
Although many plays and playwrights (including Henry Fielding) have been suggested as the cause of the act, debates on the Act mentioned the play A Vision of the Golden Rump, a raucous attack on the current Parliament whose author is unknown.
The first play to be banned by the Licensing Act was Gustavus Vasa by Henry Brooke. Samuel Johnson wrote an attack on the Licensing Act entitled A Complete Vindication of the Licensers of the British Stage that was a parody of the position for censorship. Brooke's Gustavus Vasa was not particularly savage or dark, and it took relatively few liberties. However, his previous The Earl of Essex had been perceived as highly political, and therefore Gustavus Vasa was banned.
Effects of the Act
Public mistrust
The effects of the Licensing Act were profound. The public mistrusted plays that passed the censors. One effect was that the plays that were passed were more domestically oriented, more sentimental, and, aside from Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith, who both wrote old-style plays, authors of melodrama enjoyed greatest success. Arguably, the Licensing Act created an immediate vacuum of new plays to perform, and this left theaters with little option but to stage revivals. The number of productions of Shakespeare plays staged in the 1740s was far higher than previously (one fourth of all plays performed in the decade). <ref>Box, Pit and Gallery, James J. Lynch, pub. 1953 pg 57</ref>
Writing of novels
Additionally, the Licensing Act diverted politically interested authors away from the stage and into writing novels. Fielding and Brooke are only two of the authors who turned their energies to novel writing. Many other novelists, such as Tobias Smollett and Laurence Sterne, never approached the stage. Prior to the Licensing Act, theater was the first choice for most wits. After it, the novel was. The Act was not solely responsible for the transformation of the British stage in the 18th century away from satire and toward lofty and "sentimental" subject matter, but it was responsible for stopping one of the theatrical movements away from sentiment and domestic tragedy.
See also
