About This Book
This study analyzes a leading London playhouse during a pivotal decade, arguing that its architecture, financing, and company organization shaped both repertory and dramatic practice. It surveys the company’s repertoire and offers a systematic account of dramaturgy, treating scene structure, climaxes, finales, and broader narrative patterns. A detailed examination of the stage considers localization, spatial design, and the parts of the playing area, while chapters on acting explore rhetorical traditions, theatrical inheritance, playing conditions, and conceptions of human behavior such as decorum, motivation, and passion. Practical staging issues—illusion, grouping, entrances, recurring stage patterns—and the resulting stylistic effects receive focused attention.