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Restoration Theatre in England
After Charles II's restoration in 1660, public theatres closed by the Puritans reopened, forming a stage culture distinct from the Elizabethan era, w…
Timeline
- 1660–1663London theatre district · LondonThe Restoration government revoked the Puritan ban on plays; Thomas Killigrew and others reopened theatres; the 1662 royal patent established two monopoly companies, and actresses legally took the stage, marking a new phase in English theatre.
- 1660–1670London · EnglandWilliam Wycherley, George Etherege, and others wrote comedies of manners depicting urban gallantry and marital intrigue; John Dryden pioneered heroic tragedy with works such as All for Love, blending French verse forms with English political allegory, forming the golden age of Restoration drama.
- 1663–1682Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields theatres · LondonThe patent system, scene changes, professional actresses, and the star actor system gradually matured; Restoration theatre was not only an entertainment industry but also an important cultural arena for observing social change and gender-role debate in the Restoration era.
Sources
- The Cambridge Companion to English Restoration Theatre — Deborah Payne Fisk (ed.) (2000)
- Restoration Theatre and Crisis — Susan J. Owen (1996)