Actors and Acting
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the increase in the number of tlieatres, tire newly estalrlished com-
premiere of The Beggar's
is striking. Before the
expansion in number
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the two companies Irad a total of 130. In tire season of 1729-30 over
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players and dancers were listed in the bills, and tlrrouglrout
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; ! seyen years there would be uprvards of 300 wlrose names were
Venised during the season.
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slightly at tire beginning of tlris
expande
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The older companies
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were to level offfirr the rest of tire half century. Tire total average
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Lane was very
and daircers attached to Dru
players, singers
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eighteen years between 1729 and the spring of 1747 tire average
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74■ lire largest number employed was 90 in 1741-42, if rve disregard
in
of tire departure and return of the secede
circuyrst
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Covent Gardeir consistently ran slightly lriglrer, employing about
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of
each year, witlr tire lrighest total-98-in
c
irxc $; about 35 were men and 20 were women, among tire players, a sliglrt
proportion of actresses over tlrat of earlier years. Drury Lane
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had about 25 dancers and Covent Garden 30. Totals for tire smaller
5s -Panics with large and frequent turnover cannot be analyzed very readily.
Com : impossible to determine lrow nrany players were engaged by tire
during a given week. Giffard’s acting company was generally
5
Pe ; the size of tire Drury Lane troupe. Tire remainder of tire engaged
N Were singers, many of wlrom, like Beard and Leveridge, would
parts in plays. Fielding’s troupe at tire New Haymarket was
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the ; because he needed no dancers for pantomimes, but he advertised
the new aetpr
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about forty to fifty players eaclr season. Few
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troupers at Drury Lane, and many needed
the regula
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Several pelisb
peter،; !;ears of training before they rvould become professionally com-
yet these totals are still remarkable and manifest an awakened interest
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exxv