These developments however, failed to keep the theatre from being moved and in 1805 it was constructed in a classical style unlike its surroundings, which had been built in Gothic style. The reason for this design style was that it would stand out and attract attention. No other changes were made to the building until in 1862 the theatre burnt down in a tragic fire. Every wall burnt down except one - the wall containing the Royal crest. It was quickly rebuilt keeping the classical style and, with a new attitude towards the theatre; people started to come to watch the plays not just to socialize and be seen. With only one wall remaining undamaged it meant that the theatre was completely changed and redesigned. Before the fire there were several entrances for the different classes of people, leading to different areas of the theatre; now there was only one main entrance at the front of the theatre. This mirrored changes in society at the time, as the social divide was narrowing. Also with the whole attitude towards theatres changed, the stalls were now fitted with seating and became the most expensive seats in the house unlike previously when they were the least expensive! Changes like these were happening in theatres all over the country around this time.
After being reconstructed due to the fire the theatre again needed to undergo further developments, when the Royal Patent needed renewal in 1902 lots of modifications were made, including electrical lighting and new staircases installed.
The type of plays shown in the theatre during the 18th and 19th centuries didn’t really undergo any huge changes. The only big change was in 1737 when the licensing act was passed, stating that no playwright was allowed to say anything serious about politics or religion. This limited the writing capabilities of many playwrights and therefore affected the style of plays shown. This in turn had a direct affect on the audience numbers.
Changes to the audience included changes to the size of the audience and also the type of people visiting. In the Georgian period, going to the theatre became quite elitist and only the rich went, but as the social divide narrowed in the Victorian times both rich and poor came to the theatre on a par. The audience size changed mostly due to one man, Beau Nash. In 1704 Beau Nash was the master of ceremonies and made Bath respectable. Bath became the Las Vegas of the UK and earned the nickname, ‘The Valley of Pleasure’. There was a huge increase in the number of tourists attracted annually, and also huge rises therefore in the audience sizes. The city, between 1760 and 1790, was gripped by a building frenzy. In 1793 however, the builders and the city became bankrupt, leaving many buildings and streets unfinished. This lessened the reputation of the city as a popular tourist resort, and by the end of the century Bath was one of the most populated cities in the UK. This meant that audience numbers rose further. This was happening in theatres all over the country as a general trend. After the turn of the century audience numbers started to fall when poverty hit Bath. The building frenzy had stopped and the only new buildings being erected in the city were the terraces for workers and churches. Puritans became strong within the city and the theatre now had to contend with the Puritan backlash it received. With the change in the popularity of Bath and the rise of religion the theatre, along with its audience sizes, went into decline.
The theatre changed during this period because there were several factors forcing it into change. Most of the factors are intertwined and are linked in someway. A main factor was change to the city. The popularity of the city is directly linked with the popularity of the theatre. The more tourists attracted to the city, the more people there are to entertain. People would go out in the day to see the city and go to the spa, and then in the evening would go out gambling or to the theatre for entertainment. When the city was thriving so was the theatre and improvements were needed due to the increasing size of the audiences. Similarly when the city was in decline the theatre also went in decline. Fashion also played a large role in the changes of the theatre. The interior and exterior of the theatre were decorated with what was seen as fashionable at the time, and as fashions changed so did the décor to seem attractive to visitors. The new theatre was especially designed so that it stuck out from its fashionable surroundings in the new part of Bath. This meant that it attracted the attention of the passer-by and therefore attracted more customers. Fashion is also linked to changes in the city and architectural influences. Other main factors affecting the development of the theatre were first of all the role of individuals and then religion. Individuals like Beau Nash and John Wood prompted huge change to the theatre, and with individuals like John Palmer (both Senior and Junior) investing in change out of their own pockets enabling the theatres to develop. But as with everything in life, the biggest factor for development was money. Every investment and every minor change to the theatre was all to make more profit for the shareholders. Without the incentive of money, business and competition the theatre would never have existed in the first place and no changes would have been carried out to it. Around the 18th and 19th century religion was a big factor for all developments and changes. Religion had control over many people’s actions and the way they lived their lives. With the rise of purism in the 19th century and the backlash they gave the theatre meant for some people it was a ‘no-go’ area, but for others it meant that it increased their interest in the theatre as they wanted to know what they were missing out on. This meant that again it prompted change as the audience size changed, the type of audience changed and the plays shown changed.
These causes however are all the long-term causes, explaining the reasons for change throughout the whole of the 18th and 19th centuries. There were also short-term causes that affected one area of change over a small period of time. A short-term cause is for example, the fire in 1862. This prompted change to the theatre for a short one off period, and not lots of change over an elongated period of time. Other short-term causes were the appearance of a ‘star’ actor prompting change in a dressing room for example. Short-term causes happened everyday and lead to lots of minor changes.
The rate of change varied over the period of two centuries. The general trend was that as the city of Bath was undergoing major developments, thanks to Beau Nash and John Palmer, the theatre was soon to follow suit, making changes as quickly as possible to take advantage of the new popularity of the city. When the city went bankrupt and the building frenzy ceased, development in the theatre mirrored this. There were as always in history exceptions to this rule. The fire in 1862 dramatically sped up the rate of change for a short period of time. Other instances like this also occurred for instance the renewal of the royal patent in 1902.
Individuals were very important to the development of the theatre and had a big effect on changes made. Individuals such as Beau Nash changed the city of Bath itself rather than the theatre directly. But this had a knock on affect and caused changes to be made. Architects and businessmen who invested in the theatre and designed it, such as John Wood and John Palmer, had huge influences on the developments carried out. Without the money or the ability of these people to think up the new designs, the change of site and changes to the buildings themselves would probably never have been carried out. Also famous people who visited and gave publicity like Queen Anne and Jane Austin meant change to the popularity of the city, which was then mirrored in the theatre. Famous actors like Sara Siddons would draw big crowds and prompt change in audience sizes. But mainly it was individual architects, investors and Beau Nash who had the biggest influences on development.
The changes made to the city between 1702 and 1734 by Beau Nash were hugely important to the development of the theatre, as the change in image and popularity of the city meant more trade for the theatre itself. The licensing act passed in 1737 meant that there were changes to the plays shown because it banned all playwrights saying anything serious about politics or religion. In the late 18th century the city prospered as the new building frenzy went underway, and the city became one of the most populated in the country. This was important to the development because similarly to when Beau Nash made his renovations to the city, the theatre also prospered as the tourist trade guaranteed excellent audiences. When in 1768 the theatre was granted its Royal Patent, this helped increase the rate of development slightly as it increased the reputation, and therefore attracted actors down form the London stage. This again prompted rise in audience sizes, which meant the need for the relocation of the theatre was becoming ever increasing. In 1805 when the new theatre was built the same year as the old one closed down showed the popularity of the theatre, and was a huge change and massive development. When in 1862 the theatre burnt down it was important again to the development as it meant the whole interior was refurbished, and done so in a way that changed people’s whole perspective on going to the theatre. The pit was now most expensive and people went to the theatre to concentrate fully on the play being shown. This was a big development and was happening in theatres all over the country. The 19th century depression in Bath had little affect on development. The only affect being to stop it. When the city went into depression and the great era of church building and puritans took off, the development of the theatre slowed to almost a stand still. The invention of the railway meant people no longer came to bath anymore but instead went to the up and coming seaside resorts. This depression in Bath was again mirrored in the Theatre stopping all development.
The relationship between influences and the changes are generally directly linked. The popularity of the city of Bath is reflected in the audiences at the theatre. Like Bath’s status they both rose and fell. Also the historical architectural influences had a direct affect on change, as the theatres were built to be fashionable in the case of Orchard Street, and when fashion moved on it became unfashionable and renovations were carried out. The great build up meant there were more people so the need for a bigger theatre increased, urging on the building of the new theatre. When built, the new theatre was designed to stand out from the gothic buildings surrounding it. Other historical influences that had a direct affect on the theatre was the puritan rise in the 19th century and the backlash they gave the theatre, affecting audience numbers.
Developments happening in both theatres were generally very typical of the developments happening in theatres all over the country at that time. The change in the way the theatre was perceived during the end of the 19th century was mirrored in theatres everywhere. But there were several atypical features too. The fact that Bath was the first theatre outside of London showed that it was a pioneer of its time. This is also shown when the new theatre was built in the shape of a horseshoe not the traditional square. Despite the 1737 licensing act theatrical activities increased throughout the 18th century, all over the country theatres like Bath were becoming more popular. It was Atypical that it got the royal patent, but after Bath received theirs, other theatres began to receive them as well. One of the main theatres of the time, Drury Lane, was also undergoing similar developments to those in Bath. Drury Lane was rebuilt 4 times, once being just a few years after Bath had moved site for the same reason; expansion. This means that theatres all over the country were expanding. It also burnt down twice like the theatre royal did showing that fires were not uncommon in theatres around that time. Georgian cities across the country were also expanding and going through the same building frenzy that Bath did. An example of this is the Georgian city of Exeter, like Bath many Georgian terraces were built outside the city walls and the population increased rapidly.
The theatre during the 18th and 19th centuries was affected to a large extent by historical influences. There is clear evidence to show that the increase in popularity and status of Bath affected the theatre. When Bath was at its peak of popularity and starting to expand beyond the city walls, the rate of development in the theatre was high and the capacity of Orchard Street was pushed. Like Drury Lane theatres across the country were becoming more popular and expanding. This was no different in Bath and the change in the general popularity of theatrical productions itself forced the development of the new theatre to be carried out. Another historical influence was, just like in Georgian Exeter, the city was going through a building phenomenon and was expanding rapidly. This again was mirrored in the expansion of the theatre with the Building of Beaufort Square in the new more fashionable part of Bath. Changes in society and theatrical culture had a huge influence on the developments in the Theatre Royal Bath and were the cause of most changes made.
