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Theatre in the provinces in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries : with special reference to Sarah Baker in Kent.

Baker, Jean Napier (2000) Theatre in the provinces in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries : with special reference to Sarah Baker in Kent. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.86174) (KAR id:86174)

Abstract

There are four major dimensions to this thesis the focus of which is the provincial theatre of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The first concerns the activities of Sarah Baker (1736/37 - 20 February, 1816), the Kentish theatrical manager and entrepreneur, whose life and work have not onlyprovided the data on which this study is based but, also, the inspiration for the whole project. Secondly, in order to understand and add historiographical perspective to her achievements, Sarah's career is considered in the context of the wider world in which she lived. Although the evidence indicates that, by and large, her professional life was dictated by events and concerns far removed from the day to day existence over which she had any personal control, it is also clear that her activities had a dynamic and relevance all of their own and made an important contribution in shaping the nature and character of the volatile and rapidly changing society in which she lived and worked. In the third place, Sarah's career is examined in the light of existing accounts of the eighteenth century provincial theatre and the fact that much of what has emerged about her activities does not fit happily with many of these theories has prompted the fourth and final dimension to this study. This involves an investigation into provincial theatre in the country as a whole at that time and, here, the parallels, similarities and connections with Sarah's operation in Kent suggest that a reassessment of the place and significance of the provincial theatre in the broader history of the eighteenth century is long overdue.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.86174
Additional information: This thesis has been digitised by EThOS, the British Library digitisation service, for purposes of preservation and dissemination. It was uploaded to KAR on 09 February 2021 in order to hold its content and record within University of Kent systems. It is available Open Access using a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No Derivatives (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) licence so that the thesis and its author, can benefit from opportunities for increased readership and citation. This was done in line with University of Kent policies (https://www.kent.ac.uk/is/strategy/docs/Kent%20Open%20Access%20policy.pdf). If you feel that your rights are compromised by open access to this thesis, or if you would like more information about its availability, please contact us at ResearchSupport@kent.ac.uk and we will seriously consider your claim under the terms of our Take-Down Policy (https://www.kent.ac.uk/is/regulations/library/kar-take-down-policy.html).
Uncontrolled keywords: #ethos, Theatrical history
Subjects: A General Works > AZ History of Scholarship. The Humanities
C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CB History of civilization
D History General and Old World > D History (General)
L Education > LA History of education
M Music and Books on Music > ML Literature on music
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
SWORD Depositor: SWORD Copy
Depositing User: SWORD Copy
Date Deposited: 29 Oct 2019 16:32 UTC
Last Modified: 10 Dec 2021 14:40 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/86174 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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