Shipwrecked! - Actors Theatre of Louisville

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The Victorian Era Victorian England was more than just a time and place – the events of this era revolutionized manufacturing, culture and international politics, paving the way for the world we know today. The decades between 1837 and 1901, the years of Queen Victoria’s reign, held significant changes for England. Such changes included steam technology for ships and railroads, philosophical and scientific advancement including Darwin and an everincreasing understanding of the world. The largest change was the development of the Industrial Revolution, marked by the spread of factories. Factories lowered product costs by putting all production in one location. By the middle of the 1800s a majority of industries had adopted the factory model, and England was considered the “Workshop of the World”. The population of Victorian England also shifted from an agricultural to an industrial world. From 1801 to 1901 the population dwelling in urban areas increased from 20% to 75%. Due to this increase of urban sprawl the life of the soon-to-be modern farmer was getting much more difficult. With such rapid expansion it isn’t difficult to imagine Louis de Rougemont traveling to foreign lands, meeting exotic people and returning to a vastly different London 30 years later. Queen Victoria late in her reign The hand of England extended beyond the solitary island to exotic lands such as Canada, South Africa, India and Australia. In Victorian England it was common to know someone who may have traveled hundreds of miles on newly charted seas. Through such voyages the name of Queen Victoria has been bequeathed to various conquests and discoveries. In Canada her name was given to an entire island and harbor; mountain ranges in Burma; rivers in Australia and Africa and many others. The colonization of Australia had two purposes. Among the first to settle Australia were convicts from London’s over-populated prisons. The labor of prisoners contributed to Australia’s gold and silver deposits. A great majority of released prisoners remained in Australia to further explore and conquer the rest of this untamed land in the name of Queen Victoria. Much of what we know today has sprung from the Victorian Era. For better or worse the influence of England is still felt throughout the world. From technology to politics to economics the Victorian Era comprises a remarkable portion of our own history. Aborigines, Australian natives, prior to England's colonization 6

Theatre in Louis' Day At the turn of the twentieth century, the British theatre scene was divided into two distinct halves: “Theatre” and "Music Hall". Theatre was attended by the upper classes and featured dramas and classics produced in large ornately decorated theaters. Music Hall was produced in smaller auditoriums on simple raised platforms. The audience consisted of the lower classes, and the plays were comedies or vaudeville acts: songs, skits, displays of various talents such as acrobatics, and even travel stories. It is in music halls that Louis and his touring company would have staged his incredible tales. Here’s a look at some of the early-twentieth century stage techniques that Louis and Co. would have used when putting on their entertainment: A poster for Le Chat Noir Testing…testing…1,2,3…hello? There were no microphones in Louis’ day. Nor were there speakers or endless databases of computerized sounds to insert into a show. Instead, theatre-makers had to create sound effects on the spot, using various contraptions and found materials. For instance, to make thunder, sound techs hit a large metal sheet known as a thunder sheet with a mallet, or rolled cannonballs down a large chute known as a thunder run. There were also rain boxes and wind machines. By the time Louis was hitting the stage, he would have also been using a “high-tech” alternative: the gramophone. Now, pre-recorded sounds could be played on stage—you could have the neigh of a real horse rather than a human imitation coming from the wings. Black Cats and Shadows Shadow puppet shows were performed both on the streets and in cabarets. Screens were hoisted onto the stage or positioned in front of the portable booths of street performers. Candles, oil lamp, or limelight would backlight the screens, and puppets made of tin and card performed between the light and the screen. Street shadow shows were called Galanty Shows. During the day, street puppeteers put on popular Punch & Judy shows—comedies performed by a single puppeteer that featured the adventures of the mischievous, hook-nosed Punch and the arguments he had with his wife, Judy. At night, the puppeteers transformed the booths and performed the Galanty Shows. Stage shadow shows were inspired by productions from the infamous Bohemian French cabaret Le Chat Noir. A gramophone And then there was…electricity! In the end of the nineteenth century, gas lamps and a gaseous mixture known as limelight were used to light the actors and scenery up “on the boards.” These highly flammable gasses, combined with the wooden architecture of the theatres, led to many disastrous fires. Luckily for Louis and his audiences, the turn of the century marked the widespread use of electric lights in the theatre (the first electric lights appeared in British theatres in the 1880s). Punch and Judy Show 7

Page 1 and 2: Play GUIDE! FEBRUARY 3 - 28

Page 3 and 4: Synopsis/Character List An old man

Page 5: Call of the Sea The mysteries of th

Page 9 and 10: Bridgework Building Connections Bet

Page 11 and 12: Other Reading/Glossary Terms and Vo

Page 13 and 14: Writing for Portfolio Personal Writ

Page 15 and 16: Upcoming Events Two hundred years a

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