202:
79:
259:
however, with Ward justifying his "sullen forgiveness" in the light of his low opinion of his new son-in-law's talents, telling his daughter "I forbade you to marry an actor. You have not disobeyed me since the man you have married neither is nor ever can be an actor". Although the
Kembles left the company and toured independently between 1761 and 1763, the Wards retired to
100:. Their burgeoning reputation was apparent by the time of their next visit in May 1746, when a surviving letter from a local schoolmaster described them as "a Company of Strolling-Players ... much ye best Set I have seen out of London, & in which opinion I am far from being singular". The company returned to Stratford again later that year, when their performance of
298:
The growth of the reputation of the
Warwickshire Company of Comedians marked the birth of Birmingham's theatrical tradition, which was well established by 1750, and further extended this influence to the surrounding counties â they "made the temporary theatre in barn, hall or inn the centre of polite
241:
records him describing the newcomers as "drawling, face-making puppies" and promising to "work the dogs a penn'orth for daring to cross my circuit" â and Ward responded by advertising in the London newspapers for "capital performers" to join him in
Birmingham. This was pivotal moment in theatrical
258:
Several sources relate the Wards' anger at their daughter Sarah's elopement: she was not yet 16 and although a "main prop" of her father's in the "comic province", they felt that "an actor's existence was the last into which they wished her to drift". The
Kembles were readmitted into the company,
250:
Kemble married the Wards' daughter Sarah. Of the couple's twelve children each that survived into adulthood went onto the stage, all except one married performers, and all were to start their careers performing with the
Warwickshire Company of Comedians: this marked the origin of the
193:"with the whole ceremony of the coronation of Queen Anne Bullen and the military ceremony of the Champion (on horse-back) in Westminster Hall. The Robes, Armour, Canopy and Bishops' and Judges' dresses and all the decorations of the play entirely new".
326:, who were generally thought to have received their beauty and talent from the Wards and whose emergence saw actors with provincial origins for the first time leading rather than following the London stage. Annotations from Ward's surviving
310:
companies, with whom Ward and several of his company had considerable experience and with whose development they maintained a lively interest. The high regard in which the company was held was recorded by the contemporary actor
344:
introduced to London as innovations by John
Phillip Kemble had been practiced by Ward's company as early as 1740. While tradition has it that Sarah Siddons "learnt her trade" between her initial unsuccessful appearance at
96:, which opened in 1740 and which Ward is recorded as managing in the early 1740s. Although the precise date of its foundation is unknown, the company was definitely in existence by 1744, when they are recorded as visiting
64:
in particular, who were Ward's grandchildren and whose careers began in the company, were the leading actress and actor of their time, and are still considered among the greatest performers in
English theatrical history.
349:
in 1775 and her triumphant return in 1782, it is equally possible that it was popular taste in London that had caught up in the meantime with her style, which was more suited to the emerging
1044:
237:
in
Birmingham to compete with the smaller venue in Moor Street. Ward's reaction to this invasion of his long-held territory was ill-tempered â the contemporary actor
1039:
111:
1049:
409:
319:, who acted with the company in the 1770s, recalled that in Kemble's time too it was "more respectable than many other companies of strolling players".
759:
Memoirs of
Charles Lee Lewes: containing anecdotes, historical and biographical, of the English and Scottish stages, during a period of forty years
604:
Memoirs of
Charles Lee Lewes: containing anecdotes, historical and biographical, of the English and Scottish stages, during a period of forty years
267:
in 1767 they were described as "Mr Kemble's Company of Comedians", with the cast featuring the Kembles' 14-year-old daughter Sarah â the future
331:
48:
region and surrounding counties over subsequent decades. Unusual in the 18th century as a provincial company producing performances to
914:
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387:
117:
Over the following decades the company toured widely, performing in town halls, barns, schoolhouses and guildhalls throughout the
1054:
315:, whose memoirs describe the "Great Ward" and his "very great company at Birmingham: many of them are no less than Londoners".
906:
A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800
883:
A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800
201:
1034:
468:
From bullbaiting to theater and oratorio attending: The cultural development of Birmingham during the eighteenth century
974:
Thompson, Ann (1999), "'I'll have grounds / More relative than this': The Puzzle of John Ward's 'Hamlet' Promptbooks",
346:
282:, who formed the "Cheltenham Company of Comedians" and established it as the resident company at his newly built
230:
786:, The Traveller's Library, vol. 17, London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans (published 1856), p. 81
881:
Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward A. (1982), "Kemble, Roger 1722-1802, actor, manager",
283:
263:
in 1766 and Roger Kemble took over its management on 24 May of that year. By the time the company appeared at
278:
Kemble retired in 1781 and the company's stock and goodwill was split between two of the company's members:
146:
45:
226:
56:
theatrical dynasty, which was to dominate the English stage in the late-18th and early 19th centuries.
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and was restoring Shakespeare's original text at an earlier date and more comprehensively even than
234:
134:
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93:
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125:. Their reputation was such that they were able to play long seasons at each venue â 23 weeks at
61:
114:â was the earliest recorded performance of a play by Shakespeare in the playwright's home town.
783:
Memoirs of the late Thomas Holcroft: written by himself; and continued to the time of his death
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with the "Grand Funeral Procession and Solemn Dirge set to Music by Signor Pasqualli", and at
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Under Ward the company's performances were of a much higher standard than that typical of
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The principle importance of the company, however, lies in its role in the genesis of the
154:
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909:, vol. 15, Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, pp. 258â262,
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provincial life and brought London tastes and diversions to the country towns".
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37:
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The English theatre in Wales in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries
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The major turning point in the company's existence took place in 1751 when
930:
McManaway, James G. (1949), "The Two Earliest Prompt Books of "Hamlet"",
174:
995:
102:
41:
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tastes and standards, it is particularly notable as the origin of the
340:
307:
255:, who were to dominate the English stage over the following decades.
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126:
49:
987:
899:
Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward A. (1993),
379:
Experience and identity: Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760-1800
853:, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (published 2000), p.
200:
170:
166:
122:
77:
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on 9 September â raising money to restore the memorial bust of
471:, Long Beach, CA: California State University, pp. 38â39
414:, Theatre and Performance, London: Victoria and Albert Museum
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to Birmingham to join the company, and the following June in
173:. Their performances also had a keen sense of spectacle: in
1007:
437:
579:
Birmingham theatres: concert and music halls, 1740-1988
382:, Manchester: Manchester University Press, p. 87,
1004:"Kemble, Roger (1722â1802), actor and theatre manager"
803:
743:
688:
672:
636:
564:
517:
88:
The Warwickshire Company of Comedians was founded by
850:
The Cambridge illustrated history of British theatre
762:, vol. 2, London: Richard Phillips, p. 130
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558:
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133:
in 1764 â and their repertoire was wide: as well as
607:, vol. 1, London: Richard Phillips, p. 89
530:
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242:history, as it was this advertisement that brought
434:"Siddons (nÊe Kemble), Sarah (1755â1831), actress"
338:, and also suggest that changes to the staging of
707:, London: Society for Theatre Research, pp.
1045:Theatre companies in Birmingham, West Midlands
901:"Ward, John 1704-1773, actor, manager, singer"
306:, being more comparable to those of the major
8:
1012:(Online ed.), Oxford University Press
932:Bibliographical Society of America, Papers
442:(Online ed.), Oxford University Press
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1009:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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701:Denning, Anthony; Ranger, Paul (1993),
439:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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369:
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1040:English early modern theatre companies
962:, Cardiff: University of Wales Press,
735:
723:
684:
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44:in the 1740s, touring throughout the
7:
1050:History of Birmingham, West Midlands
804:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1993
744:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1993
689:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1982
673:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1982
637:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1982
581:, Studley: Brewin Books, p. 1,
565:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1993
518:Highfill, Burnim & Langhans 1993
332:early texts of Shakespeare's works
14:
18:Warwickshire Company of Comedians
26:Mr Kemble's Company of Comedians
976:The Yearbook of English Studies
330:show that he was familiar with
129:in 1758 and seventeen weeks at
353:than the existing fashionable
22:Mr Ward's Company of Comedians
1:
432:Shaughnessy, Robert (2008),
271:â and their 12-year-old son
219:Theatre Royal, Covent Garden
756:Lewes, Charles Lee (1805),
601:Lewes, Charles Lee (1805),
1071:
944:10.1086/pbsa.43.3.24298457
465:Pendleton, Muriel (2010),
780:Holcroft, Thomas (1810),
577:Price, Victor J. (1988),
233:opened the purpose-built
231:Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
847:Trussler, Simon (1994),
704:Theatre in the Cotswolds
229:' company from London's
1055:History of Warwickshire
1002:Thomson, Peter (2004),
187:in 1747 they performed
177:in 1753 they presented
738:, pp. 39â41, 42;
222:
85:
958:Price, Cecil (1948),
742:, pp. 299, 304;
294:Reputation and legacy
204:
137:it included works by
81:
1035:18th-century theatre
411:19th Century Theatre
376:Money, John (1977),
284:Cheltenham Playhouse
217:, performing at the
235:King Street Theatre
112:Holy Trinity Church
98:Stratford-upon-Avon
94:Moor Street Theatre
825:, pp. 313â314
651:, pp. 305â306
639:, pp. 390â391
273:John Philip Kemble
223:
215:John Philip Kemble
161:, and extended to
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62:John Philip Kemble
24:and after 1767 as
313:Charles Lee Lewes
304:strolling players
280:John Boles Watson
239:Charles Lee Lewes
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1016:20 February
982:: 138â150,
351:romanticism
248:Cirencester
135:Shakespeare
108:Shakespeare
1029:Categories
736:Price 1948
724:Price 1948
685:Price 1948
453:Price 1948
361:References
347:Drury Lane
261:Leominster
190:Henry VIII
185:Gloucester
74:Foundation
38:Birmingham
952:191382085
265:Worcester
163:pantomime
90:John Ward
83:John Ward
34:John Ward
480: ;
175:Hereford
159:Vanbrugh
139:Congreve
28:, was a
996:3508939
968:2144525
221:in 1806
103:Othello
69:History
42:England
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341:Hamlet
308:London
286:, and
197:Kemble
155:Steele
143:Dryden
131:Brecon
127:Ludlow
50:London
992:JSTOR
948:S2CID
171:dance
167:music
123:Wales
1018:2011
964:OCLC
924:2011
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213:and
169:and
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