ACT in Action Issue 17

Pantomime Chronology Ancient pantomime, one of the greatest attractions on the ancient stage from the end of the first century BC until the end of the sixth century AD, was a lavish and highly skilled performance in which gestures, bodily movements, words, songs, and music contributed to stir the emotions of the audience. Worshipped and despised at the same time, pantomimic dancers ignited the imagination of their contemporaries and threatened the rigid system of established cultural and social roles. Ancient authors report that this theatrical medium was introduced at Rome during the reign of Augustus by Pylades of Cilicia and Bathyllus of Alexandria. Given the complex and sophisticated nature of ancient pantomime, it seems likely that the two alleged founders of the genre did not invent a completely new theatrical art form, but substantially transformed one already in existence. 1st century BC-5th century AD The term 'pantomime' (from the

established Lincoln's Inn as the leading theatrical venue in London. 1732 John Rich opened the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, where he remained the leading pantomime producer and Harlequin for another 30 years. 1737 The Licensing Act confirmed the sole right of the two Patent Theatres (Covent Garden and Drury Lane) * to present spoken drama. 1750 David Garrick staged his first pantomime, Queen Mab , at Drury Lane, in response to the rival success of Covent Garden. 1773 First performance of Jack the Giant Killer (as a Christmas play at Drury Lane). 1779 Spoken lines played a more prominent role in The Touchston e; or, Harlequin Traveller at Covent Garden, a theatre where, at the time, dialogue was permitted). 1780 George Colman's The Genius of Nonsense promoted the use of fairytales as source material and subsequently plots were drawn from all manner of folk traditions and from popular literature. Meanwhile the comic emphasis of the harlequinade gradually shifted from Harlequin to Pierrot. 1781 First performance of Robinson Crusoe (in a version by R. B. Sheridan at Drury Lane), in which scenes from the harlequinade were no longer interwoven with the 'mythological' narrative but were given separately after the 'Opening'. The two parts of the entertainment were linked by a 'transformation scene' (in which the characters of the Opening were now revealed in the form of Harlequin and his fellows). The infant Joseph Grimaldi made his stage debut. 1786 Robinson Crusoe and Harlequin's Invasion became the first pantomimes to be staged in the USA (at the John Street Theatre, New York). 1788 First pantomime production of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp (at Covent Garden). Outside the two Patent Theatres other venues get round the Licensing Act by presenting `burlettas' (which include many 'straight' dramas disguised as burlettas by the inclusion of musical interludes); increasingly pantomimes incorporate spoken passages. 1791 First performance of Bluebeard (at Covent Garden). 1793 First performance (as an opera) of The Babes in the Wood (at the Haymarket). 1800 Joseph Grimaldi made his first appearance as Clown — a restyled Pierrot — at Sadler's Wells and James Byrne adopted the distinctive diamond-patched coat to play Harlequin (the colour of each patch representing a particular emotion). The harlequinade approached its peak and the pantomime, presented chiefly at Christmas and Easter, became the major item of the evening's entertainment. Pantomime dames played by men become an increasingly common sight. 1803 First performance of Little Red Riding Hood (at Sadler's Wells). 1804 First performance of Cinderella (at Drury Lane). 1806 Grimaldi is acclaimed as Clown in Mother Goose and in his hands the harlequinade enters its golden era, with Clown as its most popular character. Such writers as Charles Farley and the Dibdins sharpen the satirical content of the pantomime in collaboration with Grimaldi. First performance of The Sleeping Beauty (at Drury Lane). 1814 First performances of Dick Whittington and his Cat (at Covent Garden) and Sinbad the Sailor (at Drury Lane). 1815 The part of principal boy in a pantomime is played by a woman for the first time (in Charles Farley's Harlequin and Fortunio at Covent Garden). 1818 First performance of Puss in Boots (at Covent Garden). 1819 Eliza Povey, the first female principal boy known by name, played the role of Idle Jack in the first performance of Jack and the Beanstal k

Greek, meaning 'We can act everything') was first used in reference to the performers who presented popular and often bawdy solo comic entertainments throughout the Roman Empire (otherwise unconnected to the English pantomime tradition). Cross-dressing became a feature of the Bacchanalia, with slaves dressing in the clothes of their masters and mistresses.

Venetian Mask Pierrot, cover the entire face, realized in papier mache and venetian stucco.The Pierrot mask was a character famous for its origins in pantomime and in the Commedia del’Arte during the 1600s © Smandy | Dreamstime

14th-16th centuries. The study of Roman and Greek theatre was nurtured during the Renaissance and promoted the convention of cross-dressing in the English theatre, in which all female roles were taken by boys and men. The commedia dell'arte tradition combining dance, dialogue, and knockabout comedy developed in Italy. 1602 An Italian commedia dell'arte company performed at the court of Elizabeth I. Meanwhile Italian companies settled permanently in Paris, where the tradition continued to develop. 1660 Following the Restoration of Charles II. English theatre was revived 1673 Tiberio Fiorillo's commedia dell'arte company, one of several to come from France to post-Restoration England, created a sensation in London. 1685 Characters from the commedia dell'arte made their first significant appearance in a play by an English playwright (William Mountford's 1700 Christopher Rich invited French troupes to perform Italian Night Scenes at Drury Lane and this established a new theatrical fashion. c.1702 John Weaver staged The Cheats; or, The Tavern Bilkers , in which he exploited the conventions of Italian Night Scenes and attempted to revive the pantomimus tradition of ancient Rome. 1717 John Weaver staged his ballet-pantomime The Loves of Mars and Venus. This was the first production actually billed as a 'pantomime'. The Harlequin Sorcerer , the first of a series of innovative pantomimes combining scenes based on Classical mythology or folklore with silent scenes (interspersed with songs and dances) depicting the comic adventures of the lovers Harlequin and Columbine as they are pursued by other characters derived from the commedia dell'arte , was the first `harlequinades'. 1723 John Rich's Necromancer ; or, Harlequin and Doctor Faustus Doctor Faustus ). Subsequently commedia dell'arte characters also figured in plays by such writers as Aphra Behn and Edward Ravenscroft.

Pantomime is often seen as something quaint, something utterly British, but its origins lie in warmer climes. It developed from the Italian street theatre of the Commedia dell’arte in the 16th Century, with comedic moments, stock characters and great physicality.

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