Theatre Regulation Act
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Amy Pinney
Abstract
With censorship of the arts becoming more prevalent everyday, I wanted to research the history of censorship in theater. The Theatre Regulation Act censored theatre in Britain from 1843 to 1968. One person, called the Lord Chamberlain, had the power to change or ban plays as he saw fit, in order to promote British ideals. He could censor costumes, stage directions, gestures, sound and lighting effects, and the set along with the script. This led to major censorship of queer representation and feminist ideals. To get around the censors, some theatres would organize subscription series, which would not be available to the general public, and thus be exempt from the Lord Chamberlain's censorship. The Theatre Regulation Act was abolished in 1968, but not because parliament wanted to free theatres. Parliament felt like young people were no longer getting their ideas from theatre, and were now getting their ideas from television.
Start Date
27-3-2024 4:20 PM
End Date
27-3-2024 4:28 PM
Location
Arts and Sciences 2-72
Theatre Regulation Act
Arts and Sciences 2-72
With censorship of the arts becoming more prevalent everyday, I wanted to research the history of censorship in theater. The Theatre Regulation Act censored theatre in Britain from 1843 to 1968. One person, called the Lord Chamberlain, had the power to change or ban plays as he saw fit, in order to promote British ideals. He could censor costumes, stage directions, gestures, sound and lighting effects, and the set along with the script. This led to major censorship of queer representation and feminist ideals. To get around the censors, some theatres would organize subscription series, which would not be available to the general public, and thus be exempt from the Lord Chamberlain's censorship. The Theatre Regulation Act was abolished in 1968, but not because parliament wanted to free theatres. Parliament felt like young people were no longer getting their ideas from theatre, and were now getting their ideas from television.