In 1700, Bath had a population of 3000 and was still a provincial, walled town.

INTRODUCTION

In 1700, Bath had a population of 3000 and was still a provincial, walled town. People came there to take the waters as a cure for arthritis and rheumatisms. Queen Anne was amongst these visitors in 1702 and 1703, and her visit made the city popular. Throughout the 18th century, the number of visitors rapidly increased and Bath became a city of pleasure_the elite would come there to spend the summer season bathing, playing cards, arranging marriages, going to concerts or to the theatre. Master of ceremonies “Beau” Nash, who, by imposing polite manners, greatly contributed to the increasing popularity of Bath, organized all these entertainments.

By 1800 the city housed 35000 people, but it was already past its peak of popularity. During the Victorian period Bath declined and became solely a retirement place as its highest visitors moved to Brighton and Cheltenham. It was only revived in the late 1800s, when archeological discoveries and improvements in the SPA attracted new visitors.

As well as changes in Bath, the 18th and 19th centuries saw many national changes, such as the industrial revolution. All these historical events affected all social activities in Bath, and particularly the theatre. By looking at its history, we will see that there was a close link between historical influences and the development of the Bath theatre_in fact, most changes in the theatre’s site, building, fabric, audience or plays were directly due to historical events.

THE THEATRE FIRST COMES TO BATH

Bath’s first permanent theatre was built in 1705 in Parsonage Lane. Before, the Guildhall had been used as a theatre. However, in 1702-1703, Queen Anne visited the city. This affected the theatre because it made Bath popular, therefore increasing the number of visitors to the city, and to the theatre. Soon, the Guildhall became too small and the Parsonage Lane theatre was built by George Trim, the builder of Trim Street.

This theatre was more like a lecture hall_a small building, with rows of seats rising to within 4 feet of the ceiling. A single box over the entrance accommodated 4 people and the room, lit by candles, was very smoky. These unsatisfactory premises were common to most theatres of the time. For example, in Bath, the unsuccessful Kingsmead street theatre(competing with Parsonage Lane at the time)was a single room, only 50 feet long and 25 wide. In 1730 the Parsonage Lane theatre was demolished because it was too small, and to make way for part of the mineral hospital.

SIMPSON’S ROOMS

After Parsonage Lane theatre was demolished, plays were performed for 12 years in Simpson’s Rooms, close to North Parade. There, again, the accommodation was poor_a cellar under the ballroom_and so was the quality of plays. In fact, only 25 were performed over a period of 6 years.

In 1737, the Licensing Act was passed, which forbade theatrical criticism of politics and religion. This greatly affected the types of plays performed_so far, political comedies had been popular, but the Licensing Act forbade them so they were replaced by tragedies. This change was also due, to a lesser extend, to master of ceremonies “Beau” Nash’s influence8he had imposed a strict etiquette in Bath, so manners became more elegant. This change lead tragedy to find favour.

ORCHARD STREET THEATRE

By 1740 there was increasing demand for entertainment.Hippesley,an actor,had the idea to build a bigger theatre.He died but John Palmer senior,a local businessman,took his idea and built a new,improved theatre in Orchard Street.At the time,Bath was expending rapidly and many people were keen to invest in new building enterprises.This enabled John Palmer senior to finance the building of the Orchard Street theatre by selling shares to other businessmen.

This theatre was bigger than previous ones_60 feet long and 40 wide.It was typically Georgian as it followed the national architectural style of the time_there were 2 tiers of side-boxes and an upper gallery facing the pit and the stage.The auditorium was rectangular because of limited building technologies,and because,at the time,going to the theatre was also about displaying yourself,which is why boxes faced the audience more than the stage.

This is a preview of the whole essay

By 1750,however,physical characteristics of theatres were changing throughout England_The pit,previously the resort of a noisy,standing crowd,was now being furnished with benches.The tradition of allowing privileged guests to sit on the stage was also abandoned because it limited space and disturbed the actors.The national changes influenced the Bath theatre,and John Palmer senior implemented them in Orchard Street,in 1755.

In 1754,the Licensing Act further affected the theatre_information laid against the company lead to fines and temporary closure.For some years,plays were advertised as “concerts of music” in order to avoid further punishments under the Act.

Throughout the 18th century, to accommodate more tourists, Bath had expended towards the North-East. By 1760,this area was the new fashionable center and the South of Bath(were Orchard Street is)had gained a bad reputation.This affected the theatre because John Palmer senior became anxious to make the playhouse more attractive(to compensate for the bad reputation of the area).In 1766 he organized renovations_a dome decorated with sculptures of Apollo and the Muses was added, the auditorium was enlarged.

The fabric,influenced by changes in national fashion,was also altered_so far,the Orchard Street theatre had been decorated with simple green and yellow stripes,like most Georgian theatres.As national preference drifted towards brighter decorations,the interior was painted in gold.These expensive renovations directly reflect the wealth of Bath at the time.The city was expending rapidly and many people wanted to invest in this new,successful holiday resort.

In 1775,easy credit enabled more improvements_the dome was removed because it had limited sighting and acoustics.Ventilation, so far completely lacking, was installed.

The late 18th century was a period of change throughout England because of the Industrial Revolution.This also affected the Bath theatre_during the Industrial Revolution,building techniques vastly improved and it was now possible to build a semi-circular gallery supported by pillars.This architectural change and( to a lesser extend)national changes in fashion, lead to the alteration of the auditorium during these 1775 renovations_so far rectangular,it was changed to a horse-shoe shape.Other improvements included the addition of retiring-rooms,a lobby,and a proscenium decorated with Ionic and Doric columns.

In 1768 John Palmer Junior first influenced the theatre.He demanded a Royal Patent.It was granted and the Bath theatre became “Royal”,first outside of London(Drury Lane and Covent Garden already had a Patent).This made the Bath theatre very prestigious,increasing audience.

Around 1790,peak of Bath’s popularity,there were 12000 visitors a year in the city.During this period the Orchard Street theatre meat with great success_income was high,and the local tourist trade guarantied an excellent audience,which in turn attracted famous actors to the city(Sarah Siddons and David Garick were probably the most famous).

At this time,a major change took place in the theatre’s audience.So far,it had been reserved to the elite,but the French and Industrial Revolutions lead to a rise in the middle-classe’s wealth and status.The Bath theatre’s audience broadened to reflect this change.

However,the theatre soon became too small. It closed and the building was used as a church,then as a Masonic Hall.Today it is still there,but changed beyond recognition.

BEAUFORT SQUARE

One of the reasons why the theatre’s location changed was the inadequacy of its building.This was not,however,the most important reason_throughout the 18th century,Bath had expended North-Eastward. By 1800 this part of the city was the new,fashionable center whilst the Southern area(where Orchard Street is)hadbecome very unpopular.This affected the theatre through the pressure of public opinion_many people favoured a move towards the North-East,which is why Beaufort Square was chosen as the new site.

The new Theatre Royal opened in 1805.It was much larger than previous ones_it accommodated 1500 people and it was the biggest in England at the time,which shows how important the theatre was to Bath.There were 3 entrances and the auditorium was 120 feet long,60 wide and 70 high.There were many retiring rooms,dressing rooms,wardrobes and saloons.The semi-circular gallery and 3 tiers of boxes were supported by bronze pillars.The fabric was also different to the Orchard Street decorations,because of constant evolutions in national fashion.A procenium arch dominated the stage,and the ceiling,devided in 5 compartments,contained paintings by Casali.The walls were covered in crimson cloth at the bottom,and papered with gold,Egyptian-like patterns at the top.Seats and boxes were decorated in red and gold.

This beautiful fabric shows that the 1794 banking crash_due to Napoleonic wars and French Revolution,and in which many builders went bankrupt_had not yet affected the theatre.In 1814 the interior was re-painted in green and gold to suit everchanging fashions.The ceiling was made pink and boxes were covered in green drapery.However,in years that followed,the banking crash lead to a lessening of England’s,and therefore Bath’s wealth.The city’s popularity also decreased because of competition from seaside resorts like Brighton,to which the court moved in the early 19th century.This fall of Bath’s wealth and popularity dramatically affected the theatre_there were less visitors so the theatre’s income fell,which is why there were no renovations in years that followed,except for the instalment of gas lighting in 1827.In 1839,the Casali paintings were removed because the gas lighting was damaging them.

During the 19th century people dinned later and street lighting was installed,so plays were gradually performed later.At this time,the theatre business was not going well in England and many theatres had to close.This was due to social changes on a national scale_people now preferred to hold private parties rather than go to the theatre.Also,the Victorian era was characterized by a powerful revival of Puritanism throughout England,which lead to strong prejudices against the theatre.This was also the case in Bath which,by 1840,had lost its popularity as holiday resort and was solely a retirement place.Bath had no more the frivolity of the Georgian period,but was typical of the moral earnestness which characterized Victorian ages.The Theatre Royal went through difficult times,and closure was threatened on several occasions.

On Good Friday 1862, the Beaufort Square theatre mysteriously burnt down.It was generously reconstructed in 1863 by architect Phipps,who retained its Georgian style but added a discordant portico(now the only entrance to the theatre)to create more lobby space.The fabric staid the same except for the gallery,which was papered in crimson.

In the late 1800s,Bath was revived by archeological discoveries and SPA improvements,which attracted new visitors.By then, the Great Western Railway was fully functiona and linked Bath to London and Bristol,which further increased the amount of tourists.In 1890,there were 94835 visitors to the SPA.This regained popularity of Bath’s influenced the Theatre Royal_audiences increased and so did the frequency of plays(mostly melodramas).This was also made possible due to a lessening of the puritan influence.

By 1902,the Royal Patent obtained in 1768 was due for renewal.To have it renewed,the theatre had to have safety updates.Another staircase,a fireproof curtain,new exits, hot water radiators and electric lighting were set up.

The Theatre Royal had a very successful period in the early 1900s,when standards were at their best and famous actors such as Henry Irvine came to perform in Bath.

TYPICAL AND ATYPICAL FEATURES OF THE BATH THEATRE

During the 18th and 19th centuries,Bath’s theatre was typical of English regional theatres through the pattern of its development and through particular features of its architecture and fabric.

The theatre in Bath developed along the lines of most regional playhouses_it started as a makeshift theatre,and its first proper theatre(Orchard Street)opened in 1750,just before Norwich’s(1758)and Portsmouth’s(1761).This similarity is due to the fact that all of these theatres reflected social changes of the time_population was increasing rapidly throughout England, so the demand for entertainment went up in most cities like Bath,Norwich or Portsmouth and theatres were built.

Later,in 1768,Bath’s theatre became “Royal”.It was the first provincial theatre to obtain a Patent,but this development is still more of a typical development_York obtained a Royal grant in 1769,Liverpool in 1771 and Manchester in 1775.The similarity in the times when Bath and these theatres received their patents is due to the 1737 Licensing Act.It stated that Drury Lane and Covent Garden(which had a Patent from their start)were the only legitimate theatres in England and that no other Patent could be granted.The Act was altered in 1768,which enabled Bath to receive a Patent,and soon other provincial theatres followed.This explains why Bath’s theatre became “Royal”pretty much at the same time as many other provincial theatres.

Another similarity between Bath’s and other theatres’developments was the change in the function of the pit_at first it was reserved to a standing crowd.In 1775,however,the pit in Orchard Street theatre was furnished with benches and its devotes transferred to the gallery.This change was being implemented in many other playhouses at this time because all provincial theatres were influenced by national changes in stage layout,which had been started by David Garrick in Drury Lane.

The Bath theatre’s development had less in common with London theatres_Drury Lane opened in 1663,whilst the first proper theatre in Bath only opened in 1750.This difference is due to the fact that London is much more populated than Bath,so in London there was more demand for a theatre,whilst Bath had to wait until it was a popular holiday resort to build one.

As we saw,the development of Bath’s theatre was quite typical of a regional playhouse.However,particular features oth and f the theatre were also quite typical of their time_first,its architecture: throughout the 18th and 19th centuries,the theatre was very typical because it followed national architectural styles_in Orchard Street it was typically Georgian;In Beaufort Square it was more of a Palladian architecture,as were Covent Garden and Drury Lane at the time.These typical architectures of the theatre’s were due to Bath being a popular holiday resort_to stay popular,it had to keep fashionable the architecture of its public buildings,including the theatre’s.

This was also the case with the theatre’s fabric_during both Georgian and Victorian periods,it changed many times to stay state of the art.At first the fabric was simple in green and yellow like most Georgian theatres.Then it got more elaborate,in red and gold,as fashions changed.This is why the Bath theatre’s fabric was always very typical of its time.

Rare atypical features of Bath theatre were perhaps the discordant portico(added in 1863 to Beaufort Square)and the horse-shoe auditorium(added in 1775 to Orchard Street theatre)

Influences leading to the construction of the portico were the fire which destroyed the theatre in 1862,architect Phipps who reconstructed it and added the portico,and the lack of lobby space which was the direct cause for the portico’s construction.All these influences lead the new Victorian architecture to influence the theatre because,whilst the main building was rebuilt like it had been before,the portico was built in this new Victorian style,which is why it looks atypical to the rest of the building.

The horse-shoe auditorium,which by 1800 was common,can be said atypical considering the time at which it was built_1775.This is early compared to other theatres.It is due to various historical influences_first,the constant update of fashions in Bath,but also to the good economic situation and thus easy credit,which enabled the use of expensive building techniques in the building of the auditorium.All these historical influences came together and lead the Industrial Revolution(in which new building techniques were developed)to contribute to the early building of a horse-shoe auditorium in the Bath theatre.

CONCLUSION

By looking at its detailed history,we have seen that the theatre was affected by numerous historical influences.However,I think that all events were not equally important in the development of the theatre.

The events which most influenced the theatre were probably social ones_Social changes on a national scale,like the puritan revival,virtually dictated the ups and downs of the theatre by changing people’s opinion of it.

Social changes on a regional scale,like Bath’s popularity,also affected the theatre_when Bath was popular the theatre had many visitors,but when the city declined,so did the earnings of the Bath theatre.

Economical influences also affected the Bath theatre_for example,the banking crash lead to financial difficulties in Bath,and therefore less credit.This lead to fewer renovations being carried out in the theatre during the 19th century.

Architecture and fashion influences (on a national scale)did have an effect,but only on the Bath theatre’s architecture and fashion,whilst social and economical changes indirectly affected all aspects of the theatre.

I think that individuals did not have such a big influence on the Bath theatre_Hippesley did have the idea to build Orchard Street,but as the demand for a theatre was increasing,I think that the local authorities would have taken the initiative sooner or later.Palmer asked for a Royal Patent,but I suppose that if he had not done so,someone else might have done it later under the influence of other theatres’ initiatives.

So throughout the 18th and 19th centuries,the development of the theatre in Bath was very closely linked to historical influences.These historical influences shaped the theatre’s buildings,fabrics,sites,plays and audiences,to give it its contemporary apparence and status.