Stage Licensing Act

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Domains

Censorship of expression
Legislation (Bills, Acts, Laws ...)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1737-1968

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

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[Preliminary entry]. This Act was passed on 21st June 1737 to require that all theatres either hold a royal patent or receive a special licence from the Lord Chamberlain, and that new plays for which admission was to be charged were submitted to the Lord Chamberlain two weeks in advance of performance. The Lord Chamberlain could require changes as a condition of granting permission to the staging.

The cause of the Act was the wave of theatrical satires which mocked Robert Walpole's government and the Hannoverian monarchy, notable amongst them Henry Fielding's wildly popular satire on Walpole, The Historical Register for the Year 1736, which was first performed 21st March 1737.

The cause of the Act was the wave of theatrical satires which mocked Robert Walpole's government and the…

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182 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Stage Licensing Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1115, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Stage Licensing Act

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