1.
Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool
–
Royal Court Theatre is a theatre located at 1 Roe Street, Liverpool, England. It was built in 1938 in an Art Deco style, built in the 12th century, the site of the current Royal Court Theatre was originally a water well. The turning point was in 1826 when an owner, John Cooke, bought the site for his circuses, plays, operas and concerts. During this time, Pablo Fanque, the circus performer. Performed here as a part of William Battys circus, in 1881, the building was redesigned by Henry Sumner as a regular theatre and it was re-opened as the Royal Court. A fire destroyed the building in 1933 during the opera and drama that Howard, after a small delay, construction works began in March 1938 to ensure the theatre was rebuilt and reopened in October of the same year. The Royal Court Theatre we know now was opened on 17 October 1938 and it had been totally rebuilt with a new Art Deco style, making it Liverpools number one theatre with all its splendour and grandeur. The interior of the building holds a theme, which is in line with Liverpools seafaring traditions. The basement lounge has its design based on the Queen Mary liner, there are three viewing levels within the main auditorium, the Stalls, the Grand Circle and the Balcony. Although the Blitz of World War II destroyed many of the buildings around it, throughout the war, many well-known artists performed in the Royal Court, including Ivor Novello, Margot Fonteyn, John Gielgud and Richard Burton who appeared in an Emlyn Williams production. Their first year ended promisingly and proved to be a strategy for the venue. Iron Maiden, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Taylor, Brian May, U2 and George Michael. The music videos for Let It Go, High n Dry, the photo on Let It Go single cover was taken from that shoot. In 1983, rock group Slade performed their last live UK concert with the lineup featuring Noddy Holder. In 1990, the building was listed as Grade II, highlighting the fact that it is a part of Liverpools heritage. The stalls are now set out in a three-tier cabaret-style arrangement with tables and chairs, the counterweight fly system has recently been refurbished. There were originally in excess of 70 fly lines, however this has reduced to about half that number in order to increase the distance between bars. The original brakes have now been removed and they screwed shut and could hinge open to completely release the rope
2.
Sloane Square
–
The area forms a boundary between the two largest aristocratic estates in London, the Grosvenor Estate and the Cadogan. The square was known as Hans Town, laid out in 1771 to a plan of by Henry Holland Snr. Both the square and Hans Town were named after Sir Hans Sloane, the square lies at the east end of Kings Road and at the south end of the more conventionally smart Sloane Street linking to Knightsbridge. In the early 1980s, it lent its name to the Sloane Rangers, on the northern side of the square is the Sloane Square Hotel. The square has two notable buildings, the building was carefully restored 2003-2007 with internal upgrading in line with the original designs by John McAslan and Partners. This included making the three storey atrium full-height, Peter Jones now operates as part of the employee-owned John Lewis chain. The other is the Royal Court Theatre first opened in 1888 which was important for avant-garde theatre in the 1960s and 1970s when the home of the English Stage Company. 100m from the Square in Sloane Terrace, the former Christian Science Church was built in 1907 and it is now one of Londons leading classical music venues. In 2005 revised landscaping of the square was proposed, involving a change to the layout to make it more pedestrian friendly. One option was to create a central crossroads and two spaces in front of Peter Jones and the Royal Court. The pedestrian area leading to Pavilion Road now houses the flagship stores of many brands including Brora. This option was put out to consultation, and the results in April 2007 showed that over 65% of respondents preferred a renovation of the existing square, since then, independent proposals have been put forward for the square. A short walk down Kings Road from the Square is the National Army Museum, holy Trinity Sloane Street, the Church of England parish church of 1890 is sometimes known as the Cathedral of the Arts & Crafts Movement on account of its fine fittings. These include a set of windows by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Sloane Square Underground station is at the eastern corner of the square. The River Westbourne is carried over the station platforms in plain view. The Venus Fountain in the centre of the square was constructed in 1953, in 2006, David Lammy put forward a proposal to have the fountain grade II listed, which was successful. This square is mentioned by Morrissey in his song Hairdresser on Fire, in the Doctor Who film Daleks – Invasion Earth,2150 A. D. the Dalek spaceship lands in Sloane Square amidst the ruins of 22nd century London
3.
London
–
London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
4.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
London Underground
–
The London Underground is a public rapid transit system serving London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. The network has expanded to 11 lines, and in 2015–16 carried 1.34 billion passengers, the 11 lines collectively handle approximately 4.8 million passengers a day. The system has 270 stations and 250 miles of track, despite its name, only 45% of the system is actually underground in tunnels, with much of the network in the outer environs of London being on the surface. In addition, the Underground does not cover most southern parts of Greater London, the current operator, London Underground Limited, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London, the statutory corporation responsible for the transport network in Greater London. As of 2015, 92% of operational expenditure is covered by passenger fares, the Travelcard ticket was introduced in 1983 and Oyster, a contactless ticketing system, in 2003. Contactless card payments were introduced in 2014, the LPTB was a prominent patron of art and design, commissioning many new station buildings, posters and public artworks in a modernist style. Other famous London Underground branding includes the roundel and Johnston typeface, to prepare construction, a short test tunnel was built in 1855 in Kibblesworth, a small town with geological properties similar to London. This test tunnel was used for two years in the development of the first underground train, and was later, in 1861, the worlds first underground railway, it opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. It was hailed as a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day, the Metropolitan District Railway opened in December 1868 from South Kensington to Westminster as part of a plan for an underground inner circle connecting Londons main-line termini. The Metropolitan and District railways completed the Circle line in 1884, built using the cut and this opened in 1890 with electric locomotives that hauled carriages with small opaque windows, nicknamed padded cells. The Waterloo and City Railway opened in 1898, followed by the Central London Railway in 1900, the Metropolitan Railway protested about the change of plan, but after arbitration by the Board of Trade, the DC system was adopted. When the Bakerloo was so named in July 1906, The Railway Magazine called it an undignified gutter title, by 1907 the District and Metropolitan Railways had electrified the underground sections of their lines. In January 1913, the UERL acquired the Central London Railway, the Bakerloo line was extended north to Queens Park to join a new electric line from Euston to Watford, but World War I delayed construction and trains reached Watford Junction in 1917. During air raids in 1915 people used the stations as shelters. An extension of the Central line west to Ealing was also delayed by the war, the Metropolitan promoted housing estates near the railway with the Metro-land brand and nine housing estates were built near stations on the line. Electrification was extended north from Harrow to Rickmansworth, and branches opened from Rickmansworth to Watford in 1925, the Piccadilly line was extended north to Cockfosters and took over District line branches to Harrow and Hounslow. In 1933, most of Londons underground railways, tramway and bus services were merged to form the London Passenger Transport Board, the Waterloo & City Railway, which was by then in the ownership of the main line Southern Railway, remained with its existing owners. In the same year that the London Passenger Transport Board was formed, in the following years, the outlying lines of the former Metropolitan Railway closed, the Brill Tramway in 1935, and the line from Quainton Road to Verney Junction in 1936
6.
Sloane Square tube station
–
Sloane Square is a London Underground station in Sloane Square. It is served by the District and Circle lines, between South Kensington and Victoria stations and is in Travelcard Zone 1, the entrance to the station is on the east side of Sloane Square. It is adjacent to the Royal Court Theatre and is the nearest station for Kings Road shopping, the Peter Jones department store and the Cadogan Hall. The station was opened on 24 December 1868 by the District Railway when the company opened the first section of its line between South Kensington and Westminster stations, the River was carried above the platform in a large iron pipe suspended from girders. On 1 February 1872, the DR opened a branch from its station at Earls Court to connect to the West London Extension Joint Railway to which it connected at Addison Road. From that date the Outer Circle service began running over the DRs tracks, the service was run by the North London Railway from its terminus at Broad Street in the City of London via the North London Line to Willesden Junction, then the West London Line to Addison Road. Due to financial problems, the DR extended only one further east. The service was operated jointly by the H&CR and the DR, on 30 June 1900, the Middle Circle service was withdrawn between Earls Court and Mansion House. On 31 December 1908 the Outer Circle service was also withdrawn, in the late 1930s, the station building was rebuilt in the modern style and escalators were installed between the ticket hall and the platforms. The new station building did not last long as it was destroyed during World War II. A German bomb that fell in November 1940 killed 37 and injured 79 passengers on a train in the station and destroyed the hall, escalators. In 1949, the Metropolitan line operated Inner Circle route was given its own identity on the map as the Circle line. By 1951 the station had been rebuilt again in a style to the 1930s building. The arched glass roof was not replaced and the current station does not have the open atmosphere of the original. The office building above the entrance is a later addition. On 5 April 1960, Peter Llewelyn Davies, one of the Llewelyn Davies boys who were the inspiration for the boy characters of J. M, on 26 December 1973, a terrorist bomb exploded in the telephone kiosk in the booking office. The station has ticket halls, escalators, a Wifi service, vending machines and it also has canopies over each platform. Sloane Square was going to be a stop on the long proposed Chelsea-Hackney line, however it is planned to be re-introduced in the next safeguarding of the line
7.
Listed building
–
A listed building or listed structure, in the United Kingdom, is one that has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. The statutory bodies maintaining the list are Historic England in England, Cadw in Wales, Historic Scotland in Scotland, however, the preferred term in Ireland is protected structure. In England and Wales, an amenity society must be notified of any work to a listed building which involves any element of demolition. Owners of listed buildings are, in circumstances, compelled to repair and maintain them. When alterations are permitted, or when listed buildings are repaired or maintained, slightly different systems operate in each area of the United Kingdom, though the basic principles of the listing remain the same. It was the damage to caused by German bombing during World War II that prompted the first listing of buildings that were deemed to be of particular architectural merit. The listings were used as a means of determining whether a building should be rebuilt if it was damaged by bombing. Listing was first introduced into Northern Ireland under the Planning Order 1972, the listing process has since developed slightly differently in each part of the UK. In the UK, the process of protecting the historic environment is called ‘designation’. A heritage asset is a part of the environment that is valued because of its historic. Only some of these are judged to be important enough to have legal protection through designation. However, buildings that are not formally listed but still judged as being of heritage interest are still regarded as being a consideration in the planning process. Almost anything can be listed – it does not have to be a building, Buildings and structures of special historic interest come in a wide variety of forms and types, ranging from telephone boxes and road signs, to castles. Historic England has created twenty broad categories of structures, and published selection guides for each one to aid with assessing buildings and these include historical overviews and describe the special considerations for listing each category. Both Historic Scotland and Cadw produce guidance for owners, in England, to have a building considered for listing or delisting, the process is to apply to the secretary of state, this can be done by submitting an application form online to Historic England. The applicant does not need to be the owner of the building to apply for it to be listed, full information including application form guidance notes are on the Historic England website. Historic England assesses buildings put forward for listing or delisting and provides advice to the Secretary of State on the architectural, the Secretary of State, who may seek additional advice from others, then decides whether or not to list or delist the building. In England and Wales the authority for listing is granted to the Secretary of State by the Planning Act 1990, Listed buildings in danger of decay are listed on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register
8.
West End theatre
–
West End theatre is a common term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of Theatreland in and near the West End of London. Along with New York Citys Broadway theatre, West End theatre is considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London, in 2013, ticket sales reached a record 14.4 million, making West End the largest English speaking audience in the world. Famous screen actors frequently appear on the London stage, helen Mirren received an award for her performance as the Queen on the West End stage, and then stated, theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture. Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation, the first permanent public playhouse, known simply as The Theatre, was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage. It was soon joined by The Curtain, both are known to have been used by William Shakespeares company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark and these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649. After the Restoration, two companies were licensed to perform, the Dukes Company and the Kings Company, performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisles Tennis Court. The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal and it opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new designed by Christopher Wren and renamed the Theatre Royal. Outside the West End, Sadlers Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property, it operated as a Musick House, with performances of opera, as it was not licensed for plays. In the West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site north of its current location. The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, by the early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama. Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music, initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses, but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End at Shoreditch and Whitechapel. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of small theatres and halls. South of the River Thames, the Old Vic, Waterloo Road, the next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. It abbreviated its name three years later, the theatre building boom continued until about World War I
9.
Seating capacity
–
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats hundreds of thousands of people. The International Fire Code, portions of which have adopted by many jurisdictions, is directed more towards the use of a facility than the construction. It specifies, For areas having fixed seating without dividing arms and it also requires that every public venue submit a detailed site plan to the local fire code official, including details of the means of egress, seating capacity, arrangement of the seating. Once safety considerations have been satisfied, determinations of seating capacity turn on the size of the venue. For sports venues, the decision on maximum seating capacity is determined by several factors, chief among these are the primary sports program and the size of the market area. Seating capacity of venues also plays a role in what media they are able to provide, in contracting to permit performers to use a theatre or other performing space, the seating capacity of the performance facility must be disclosed. Seating capacity may influence the kind of contract to be used, the seating capacity must also be disclosed to the copyright owner in seeking a license for the copyrighted work to be performed in that venue. Venues that may be leased for private functions such as ballrooms and auditoriums generally advertise their seating capacity, seating capacity is also an important consideration in the construction and use of sports venues such as stadiums and arenas. The seating capacity for restaurants is reported as covers, a restaurant that can seat 99 is said to have 99 covers, seating capacity differs from total capacity, which describes the total number of people who can fit in a venue or in a vehicle either sitting or standing. Use of the term public capacity indicates that a venue is allowed to more people than it can actually seat. Again, the total number of people can refer to either the physical space available or limitations set by law
10.
Walter Emden
–
Walter Lawrence Emden was one of the leading English theatre and music hall architects in the building boom of 1885 to 1915. Emden was the son of William S. Emden, lessee of Londons Olympic Theatre. Originally studying as a engineer, he joined architects Kelly. He was immediately given the commission of designing the Globe Theatre, Emden also became a member of the Strand District Board of Works, a forerunner of local councils, and for seven years acted as chair. In 1890, he was elected to the London County Council, in 1880, W. G. R. Sprague, a former pupil of Frank Matcham, joined Emdens practice as an apprentice for three years. From 1889, Emden entered a partnership with Charles J. Phipps building the Tivoli, Garrick Theatre and his most important work, The Tivoli, in the Strand, became the archetype for music hall and variety theatre architecture. His work extended to hotels, restaurants and, as it became popular and he also had a younger half-brother, Henry, who was a leading scenic artist, painting the stage curtain for Walters Trafalgar Theatre in 1892. In 1903 Walter Emden became the 4th Mayor of Westminster, before becoming the Mayor of Dover in November 1907 under somewhat unusual circumstances. He was the first mayor not to be a member of the Town Council, the Guide to British Theatres describes Emdens early work as the epitome of architectural illiteracy betraying his lack of formal training in architecture. He formally retired in 1906, passing the practice to Emden, Egan and Co. a partnership formed from his four assistants, Stephen H. Egan, William S. Emden, A. J. Croughton. They remained in offices in Lancaster Place, off the Strand and designed many suburban London cinemas and hotels, most of these large cinemas have now succumbed, as music-hall did to them, to television and been modified to other uses, or demolished. Emden died in London in 1913 and his list of theatre designs include, Theatre London, An Architectural Guide, Edwin Heathcote, ISBN 1-84166-047-7 Guide to British Theatres 1750-1950, Earl, John and Michael Sell pp
11.
Haworth Tompkins
–
Haworth Tompkins was formed in 1991 by architects Graham Haworth and Steve Tompkins. The practice employs circa 55 people, the Shed, London Temporary auditorium for the National Theatre on the South Bank. North Wall, Oxford New theatre for St Edwards School, Young Vic Theatre, London Refurbishment of Bill Howells 1970s auditorium with new studios, foyer and back-of-house facilities for the Young Vic theatre. The Egg, Bath Childrens Theatre for the Theatre Royal, in an existing Grade II listed building in the heart of Bath, student Housing, Newington Green, London Accommodation for students in land-locked site in Newington Green, London. Transformation of the odl headquarters building of the China Inland Mission, Extension to Hayward Gallery, London Extension and refurbishment of the Hayward Gallery including new pavilion structure with artist Dan Graham. Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry Extension and refurbishment for Coventry City Council adjacent to Coventry Cathedral, loch Promenade, Douglas, Isle of Man High-quality offices in the centre of Douglas with new landscaped square. Iroko Housing, London New terraced housing development with central courtyard for Coin Street Community Builders on Londons South Bank, Royal Court Theatre, London Rebuilding of existing Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square with new front of house facilities, offices, dressing rooms and technical facilities. 2005 Bath & North East Somerset Design Quality Award -The Egg Theatre,2003 ABTT Prague Quadrennial Gold Award for Theatre Design. Best Residential Building -Iroko Housing Co-op,2002 Evening Standard awards – most promising newcomer. Time Out Live Awards – Most Inspiring Venue – Almeida Kings Cross, RIBA award for architecture -Iroko Housing Co-op. Housing Design Award -Iroko Housing Co-op, Building of the Year, Royal Fine Art Commission -Iroko Housing Co-op. 2001 Building Awards, Young Architect of The Year, outstanding Young UK Architect, Royal Fine Art Commission Awards. English Partnerships Regeneration Award – Coin Street Iroko Housing Co op, iStructE award – Royal Court Theatre. 2000 RIBA Award –Royal Court Theatre, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Conservation and Restoration Award – Royal Court Theatre. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Accessibility Award – Royal Court Theatre, USITT Award – Royal Court Theatre. Civic Trust Award –Doc Martens, Cobbs Lane, concrete Society Award – Royal Court Theatre. FX Award Shortlist – Royal Court,1998 Civic Trust Award – Offices, St. Helier, Jersey. 1996 Structural Steel Award –Doc Martens, Cobbs Lane,1995 RIBA Regional Award –Doc Martens
12.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
–
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an inner London borough of Royal borough status, to the west of the centre. As the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England, the borough is immediately to the west of the City of Westminster and to the east of London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It contains major museums and universities in Albertopolis, department stores such as Harrods, Peter Jones and Harvey Nichols and it is home to the Notting Hill Carnival, Europes largest. It contains many of the most expensive places in the world. The local authority is Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council, the boroughs motto is Quam Bonum in Unum Habitare, which can be roughly translated as How good to dwell in unity. The borough was created in 1965 from the boroughs of Kensington. Kensingtons Royal Borough status was inherited by the new borough, the new borough was originally to be called just Kensington – the inclusion of Chelsea was locally supported. Due to its high French population it has held the unofficial title of the 21st arrondissement of Paris. In 2005, the borough had more of its covered by domestic buildings than anywhere else in England at 19%. It also had the fifth highest proportion of land covered by buildings at 12%. As of 2010, statistics released by the Office for National Statistics showed that life expectancy at birth for females was 89.8 years in 2008–2010, male life expectancy at birth for the same period was 85.1 years. The figures in 1991–1993 were significantly lower,73.0 years for males and 80.0 for females, the borough has a higher proportion of high earners than any other local government district in the country. It has the highest proportion of workers in the financial sector, in December 2006, Sport England published a survey which showed that the boroughs residents were the fourth most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 27. 9% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes, the top quarter earn at least £41 per hour, three and a half times the level of the lowest quarter at £12 per hour or less. Two of its more notable leaders were Nicholas Freeman, from 1977 until 1989. The Council has 42 Conservative,9 Labour and 3 Liberal Democrat councillors, the borough has combined a number of services and departments with its neighbours, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster City Council. Chelsea has less Underground access than Kensington, the station within Chelsea being Sloane Square. There are long-term plans for the Chelsea-Hackney line, with a station in the Kings Road near Chelsea Old Town Hall, buses Many London bus routes pass through the borough, most of them along Kings Road, Fulham Road, Kensington High Street and Ladbroke Grove
13.
English Stage Company
–
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre, in 1956 it was acquired by and is home to a resident company, the English Stage Company. The first theatre on Lower George Street, off Sloane Square, was the converted Nonconformist Ranelagh Chapel, marie Litton became its manager in 1871, hiring Walter Emden to remodel the interior, and it was renamed the Court Theatre. By 1878, management of the theatre was shared by John Hare, further alterations were made in 1882 by Alexander Peebles, after which its capacity was 728. After that, Arthur Cecil was co-manager of the theatre with John Clayton, among other works, they produced a series of Arthur Wing Pineros farces, including The Rector, The Magistrate, The Schoolmistress, and Dandy Dick, among others. The theatre closed on 22 July 1887 and was demolished, the present building was built on the east side of Sloane Square, replacing the earlier building, and opened on 24 September 1888 as the New Court Theatre. Designed by Walter Emden and Bertie Crewe, it is constructed of red brick, moulded brick. Originally the theatre had a capacity of 841 in the stalls, dress circle, amphitheatre, Cecil and Clayton yielded management of the theatre to Mrs. John Wood and Arthur Chudleigh in 1887, although Cecil continued acting in their company until 1895. The first production in the new building was a play by Sydney Grundy titled Mamma, starring Mrs. John Wood and John Hare, with Arthur Cecil and Eric Lewis. Harley Granville-Barker managed the theatre for the first few years of the 20th century and it ceased to be used as a theatre in 1932 but was used as a cinema from 1935 to 1940, until World War II bomb damage closed it. The interior was reconstructed by Robert Cromie, and the number of seats was reduced to under 500, George Devine was appointed artistic director at the suggestion of Oscar Lewenstein, one of the other two co-founders of the English Stage Company. The ESC opened at the Royal Court in 1956 as a subsidised theatre producing new British and foreign plays, Devine aimed to create a writers theatre, seeking to discover new writers and produce serious contemporary works. Devine produced the new companys production in 1956, John Osbornes Look Back in Anger. Osborne followed Look Back In Anger with The Entertainer, with Laurence Olivier in the lead as Archie Rice, significantly, although it was quickly reversed, the artistic board of the ESC initially rejected the play. Two members of the board were in agreement in opposing The Entertainer, in the mid-1960s, the ESC became involved in issues of censorship. The succès de scandale of the two helped to bring about the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK. During the period of Devines directorship, besides Osborne and Bond, early seasons included new international plays by Bertolt Brecht, Eugène Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Marguerite Duras. In addition to the 400-seat proscenium arch Theatre Downstairs, the smaller studio Theatre Upstairs was opened in 1969
14.
Marie Litton
–
Marie Litton was the stage name of Mary Jessie Lowe, an English actress and theatre manager. After beginning a career in 1868, Litton became an actor-manager in 1871, producing plays for four years at the Court Theatre. She also appeared in, and sometimes managed, other West End theatres, Litton was born in Hartington in Derbyshire but was raised in Lincolnshire, where her father Thomas Lowe was a clergyman. She followed this with the role in Boucicaults Presumptive Evidence. Later in 1868, at the opening of the Gaiety Theatre, she played Mrs Cureton in a play by Alfred Thompson, On the Cards and she next appeared there as Alice Renshaw in Uncle Dicks Darling, by H. J. Byron. After this, she appeared for a year for Mrs Nye Chart at the Theatre Royal, from 1871 to 1874, Litton managed the Court Theatre, beginning with a play by W. S. Gilbert, Randalls Thumb. She also produced Gilberts Creatures of Impulse, Great Expectations and On Guard, all in 1881, Litton appeared in most of the plays that she produced, receiving favourable critical reviews for the grace of manner of her acting. At times during her tenure at the Court, she appeared at the Haymarket Theatre, there she created the role of Zayda in Gilberts The Wicked World. She also briefly managed the Queens Theatre and she created the role of Caroline Effingham in Gilberts Tom Cobb at the St Jamess Theatre in 1875, and played Mrs Montressor in Unequal Match by Tom Taylor at the Prince of Waless Theatre. Litton played Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal at the Royal Aquariums theatre, in 1878, she became the manager of that theatre, succeeding her husband. Her company there, which included the veteran actor Samuel Phelps and such notable actors as Hermann Vezin, Kyrle Bellew and Lionel Brough. There, she played Lydia Languish in The Rivals and Miss Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer for a long run. She also produced there a revival of Gilberts Great Expectations, the farce Fun in a Fog and Family Honour by Frank Marshall, The Beaux Stratagem by George Farquhar and she also played Olivia in The Vicar of Wakefield at the Imperial. She played Rosalind in As You Like It at the Imperial in 1879 before transferring to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, at the Gaiety in 1879, while still managing the Imperial, she managed the matinees, at which she played Peggy in David Garricks The Country Girl. Litton had an affair with the married theatre manager, William Wybrow Robertson, beginning by 1865. By mid-1882 Littons health was declining with the cancer that would kill her. She moved with her husband and two children to Ascot, Berkshire, and she died in South Kensington, London, in 1884, a Dictionary of the Drama, Chatto & Windus
15.
William Ewart Gladstone
–
William Ewart Gladstone, FRS, FSS was a British Liberal and earlier conservative politician. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times, more than any other person, Gladstone was also Britains oldest Prime Minister, he resigned for the final time when he was 84 years old. Gladstone first entered Parliament in 1832, beginning as a High Tory, Gladstone served in the Cabinet of Sir Robert Peel. After the split of the Conservatives Gladstone was a Peelite – in 1859 the Peelites merged with the Whigs, as Chancellor Gladstone became committed to low public spending and to electoral reform, earning him the sobriquet The Peoples William. Gladstones first ministry saw many reforms including the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, after his electoral defeat in 1874, Gladstone resigned as leader of the Liberal Party, but from 1876 began a comeback based on opposition to Turkeys reaction to the Bulgarian April Uprising. Gladstones Midlothian Campaign of 1879–80 was an example of many modern political campaigning techniques. The government also passed the Third Reform Act, Back in office in early 1886, Gladstone proposed Irish home rule but this was defeated in the House of Commons in July. The resulting split in the Liberal Party helped keep out of office, with one short break. In 1892 Gladstone formed his last government at the age of 82, the Second Home Rule Bill passed the Commons but was defeated in the Lords in 1893. Gladstone resigned in March 1894, in opposition to increased naval expenditure and he left Parliament in 1895 and died three years later aged 88. Gladstone was known affectionately by his supporters as The Peoples William or the G. O. M, Gladstone is consistently ranked as one of Britains greatest Prime Ministers. Born in 1809 in Liverpool, at 62 Rodney Street, William Ewart Gladstone was the son of the slave-owning merchant Sir John Gladstone. Although born and brought up in Liverpool, William Gladstone was of purely Scottish ancestry, in 1814 young Willy visited Scotland for the first time, as he and his brother John travelled with their father to Edinburgh, Biggar and Dingwall to visit their relatives. William and his brother were both made freemen of the burgh of Dingwall, in 1815 Gladstone also travelled to London and Cambridge for the first time with his parents. In London he attended a service of thanksgiving with his family at St Pauls Cathedral following the Battle of Waterloo, William Gladstone was educated from 1816 to 1821 at a preparatory school at the vicarage of St Thomass Church at Seaforth, close to his familys residence, Seaforth House. In December 1831 he achieved the double first-class degree he had long desired, Gladstone served as President of the Oxford Union debating society, where he developed a reputation as an orator, which followed him into the House of Commons. At university Gladstone was a Tory and denounced Whig proposals for parliamentary reform, following the success of his double first, William travelled with his brother John on a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. On his return to England, William was elected to Parliament in 1832 as Tory Member of Parliament for Newark, partly through the influence of the local patron, the Duke of Newcastle
16.
Robert Lowe
–
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, GCB, PC, British statesman, was a pivotal but often forgotten figure who shaped British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1868 and 1873 and as Home Secretary between 1873 and 1874, Lowe is remembered for his work in education policy, his opposition to electoral reform and his contribution to modern UK company law. The Division of Lowe, a now abolished Australian electoral division located in Sydney, was named after him, Gladstone appointed Lowe as Chancellor expecting him to hold down public spending. Public spending rose, and Gladstone pronounced Lowe wretchedly deficient, most historians agree, Lowe repeatedly underestimated the revenue, enabling him to resist demands for tax cuts and to reduce the national debt instead. He insisted that the tax system be fair to all classes, by his own main criterion of fairness – that the balance between direct and indirect taxation remain unchanged – he succeeded. However historians do not believe this balance is a measure of class incidence and was by that time thoroughly archaic. Lowe was born in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, England, the son of the Reverend Robert Lowe. His mother was Ellen, the daughter of the Rev. Reginald Pyndar, Lowe had albinism, and his sight was so weak that initially it was thought he was unfit to be sent to school. In 1822 he went to a school at Southwell, then to one at Risley, in Lowes fragment of autobiography he shows an unpleasing picture of the under-feeding and other conditions of the school life of the time. The languages of Latin and Greek were the subjects of study. In 1835 he won a fellowship at Magdalen, but vacated it on marrying, on 26 March 1836, Lowe was for a few years a successful tutor at Oxford, but in 1838 was disappointed at not being elected to the professorship of Greek at the University of Glasgow. Lowe held that seat until 20 June 1848 and was elected for City of Sydney in July 1848, knatchbull was hanged on 13 February 1844. Lowe and his wife adopted Mrs. Jamiesons two orphaned children, Bobby and Polly Jamieson, on 27 January 1850, the Lowes and the two Jamieson children sailed to England, where he would enter political life. In 1852, he was returned to Parliament for Kidderminster in the Liberal interest, during his time there, he saw the Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 passed – the first nationwide codification of company law in the world. He has been referred to as the father of modern company law and this status was again referred to in the presentation by Lord Sainsbury of the second reading leading up to the new United Kingdom Companies Act 2006. One hundred and fifty years ago, my predecessor Robert Lowe, later First Viscount Sherbrooke and it was the first nationwide codification of company law in the world, and he has recently been described as the father of modern company law. Our company law continues to have an excellent record, since 1997 new incorporations have risen by over 60 per cent and the number of foreign firms incorporating in the UK has more than quadrupled. No doubt this is because, according to the World Banks assessment and this was the result of the strong feelings that had been aroused against Lingens administration of the Education Office
17.
Acton Smee Ayrton
–
Acton Smee Ayrton was a British barrister and Liberal Party politician. Considered a radical and champion of the classes, he served as First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone between 1869 and 1873. He is best remembered for the Ayrton controversy over scientific facilities at Kew Gardens, Ayrton was the uncle of the physicist and electrical engineer William Edward Ayrton. Ayrton practised as a solicitor in Bombay, British India, and was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, in 1857 he was elected Member of Parliament for Tower Hamlets, a seat he held until 1874. Ayrton is best remembered for the so-called Ayrton controversy and this prompted a confrontation with Joseph Dalton Hooker, who enlisted the support of Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell, amongst other scientific luminaries. After debates in both Houses of Parliament, Ayrton was transferred to the post of Judge Advocate General and the proposal failed, Ayrton remained as Judge Advocate General until the Gladstone government fell in February 1874. He lost his seat in parliament in the election of that year. In the Palace of Westminster the lantern at the top of the Elizabeth Tower is called the Ayrton Light and it was installed in 1885 at the request of Queen Victoria so that she could see from Buckingham Palace when the members were sitting and named after Ayrton. For the last few years of his life he was a frequenter of the Reform Club. He died at the Mount Dore Hotel, Bournemouth, on 30 November 1886 and he is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. Caricatures of Acton Smee Ayrton at the National Portrait Gallery Attribution This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Courtney. Dictionary of National Biography,1901 supplement
18.
W. S. Gilbert
–
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for the fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. The most famous of these include H. M. S, Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. The popularity of works was supported for over a century by year-round performances of them, in Britain and abroad, by the repertory company that they founded. Eleven of the Savoy operas continue to be performed in the English-speaking world and beyond by opera companies, repertory companies, schools. Lines from these works have become part of the English language, such as short, sharp shock, What, and Let the punishment fit the crime. Gilberts creative output included over 75 plays and libretti, and numerous stories, poems and lyrics. He also began to write burlesques and his first comic plays, developing a unique absurdist and he also developed a realistic method of stage direction and a reputation as a strict theatre director. M. S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, in the 1880s, Gilbert focused on the Savoy operas, including Patience, Iolanthe, The Mikado, The Yeomen of the Guard and The Gondoliers. Gilbert won the lawsuit, but the argument caused hurt feelings among the partnership. Although Gilbert and Sullivan were persuaded to collaborate on two last operas, they were not as successful as the previous ones, in later years, Gilbert wrote several plays, and a few operas with other collaborators. He retired, with his wife and ward, Nancy McIntosh, to a country estate, Gilbert died of a heart attack while attempting to rescue a young woman to whom he was giving a swimming lesson in the lake at his home. Gilbert was born at 17 Southampton Street, Strand, London and his father, also named William, was briefly a naval surgeon, who later became a writer of novels and short stories, some of which were illustrated by his son. Gilberts mother was the former Anne Mary Bye Morris, the daughter of Thomas Morris, Gilberts parents were distant and stern, and he did not have a particularly close relationship with either of them. They quarrelled increasingly, and following the break-up of their marriage in 1876, his relationships with them, especially his mother, Gilbert was nicknamed Bab as a baby, and then Schwenck, after his fathers godparents. As a child, Gilbert travelled to Italy in 1838 and then France for two years with his parents, who returned to settle in London in 1847. He then attended Kings College London, graduating in 1856, instead he joined the Civil Service, he was an assistant clerk in the Privy Council Office for four years and hated it. In 1859 he joined the Militia, a volunteer force formed for the defence of Britain, with which he served until 1878. In 1863 he received a bequest of £300 that he used to leave the service and take up a brief career as a barrister
19.
Randall's Thumb
–
Randalls Thumb is a play by W. S. Gilbert that premièred in 1871 at the opening of Marie Littons Royal Court Theatre in London. In the play, several characters pretend to be different from their real selves, the play received mixed reviews but lasted for a successful 123 performances in its original London run. Gilbert had already written a body of stories, plays, poems, criticism. Its success led to an American production and to more Gilbert plays produced at the Royal Court Theatre and he would go on to write more successful plays and, between 1871 and 1896, the libretti to the popular series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas. In 1871, he produced seven plays and operas, gilberts dramatic writing during this time was evolving from his early musical burlesques to a more restrained style, as exemplified in his string of blank-verse fairy comedies. The first of these was The Palace of Truth, which opened in 1870 to widespread acclaim, Marie Litton took over the proprietorship of the New Chelsea Theatre in 1871 and renamed it the Royal Court. Its opening attraction was the première of Randalls Thumb on 25 January 1871, Gilbert wrote and rehearsed the play at the same time as another work, A Sensation Novel, which he opened only three days after Randalls Thumb at the Gallery of Illustration. In Randalls Thumb, several characters play roles that differ from reality, newlyweds pretend to be married. The contrast between appearance and reality is a theme to which Gilbert returned many times in his later work, another favourite Gilbert theme in this piece is the idea that gentlemanly behaviour triumphs through the love of a virtuous woman. When Randalls Thumb proved successful, it was no surprise, as the London Echo pointed out and this work was Creatures of Impulse, which opened on 2 April 1871 as a companion piece for Randalls Thumb. On 8 May 1871, Randalls Thumb opened in New York at Wallacks Theatre, young Buckthorpe was attacked by a stranger, while walking along the edge of Banton Cliffe, who struck him with a sword-cane, Buckthorpe lost consciousness. Randall had married a woman for her money, but had to flee the country to avoid being arrested on a felony charge shortly thereafter. However, to avoid scrutiny that might reveal his felony, he wants Buckthorpe to flirt with said niece and find out about the aunt, Randall and Buckthorpes conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Trotway and his niece Edith Temple. Edith and Buckthorpe knew each other when Buckthorpe was serving in India, after their romance begins to rekindle, Randall steps in and reveals that Edith was the heiress that Buckthorpe was to flirt with. On a rocky coast, Miss Spinn, a spinster, directs servants to set up the picnic and flirts with Joe Bangles. Bangles jokes around with her, and, as the begin to arrive, he discovers himself having all. Randall is disliked by the group, but he eventually gets Miss Spinn to have pity on him, however, the tide will be coming in shortly, and the group begins to head in. Bangles stays behind a bit to talk to Dr. Trotway about Buckthorpe, in a private interview soon afterwards, Randall discovers that Buckthorpe has failed to gain any information about Randalls wife
20.
Creatures of Impulse
–
Creatures of Impulse is a stage play by the English dramatist W. S. Gilbert, with music by the composer-conductor Alberto Randegger, which Gilbert adapted from his own short story. Both the play and the story concern an unwanted and ill-tempered old fairy who enchants people to behave in a manner opposite to their natures. The short story was written for The Graphics Christmas number of 1870, and it originally included six songs, but three were eventually cut, and some productions dispensed with the music entirely. While the lyrics survive, the music was never published and is lost, reviews of the play were mostly positive, though it was criticised for the lack of a significant plot or superstructure to support its comic premise. Nonetheless, reviewers found it enjoyable, and it was a modest success, running for 91 performances, Gilbert had already written a considerable body of stories, plays, poems, criticism and other works before writing Creatures of Impulse. He later wrote the libretti to the series of Savoy operas between 1871 and 1896. In 1871 he was even busier, producing seven plays and operas, Gilberts dramatic writing during this time was evolving from his early musical burlesques to a more restrained style, as exemplified in his string of blank-verse fairy comedies. The first of these was The Palace of Truth, which opened in 1870 to widespread acclaim, Gilbert described the play as a musical fairytale. He is also remembered for his important 1879 textbook entitled Singing and his music for Creatures of Impulse was criticised as extremely undramatic, though others found it pretty. Much of it was cut from revivals of the piece, Gilbert first published Creatures of Impulse as a short story, under the title A Strange Old Lady, in the 1870 Christmas number of The Graphic, an illustrated weekly newspaper. Gilbert did not originally intend for the story to be turned into a play, nonetheless and he adapted the story into a play for Marie Littons Royal Court Theatre. Litton took over the proprietorship of the New Chelsea Theatre in 1871 and he often used his previous prose work as the basis of later plays, and The Strange Old Lady was no exception. Under the new title of Creatures of Impulse, it opened on 2 April 1871 as a piece for Randalls Thumb. Successful, it lasted through 91 performances and acted as a piece to five different plays. The play was revived in 1872 at the Court Theatre, in 1873 at the Queens Theatre and it appears to have gone through several changes during these revivals, the first of which was described on its playbill as a shortened version, and the last as an altered one. Various versions continued to be produced into the 20th century by amateurs as well as occasional professional groups, an acting edition was published by T. H. Lacy around 1871. T. H. Lacy was acquired by Samuel French, the piece, still occasionally produced, was part of the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in 2006. Substantial cuts were made in the text by the time the play was collected for Original Plays, Fourth Series, note, The short story takes place at an inn on the road from London to Norwich, but the play calls for Alsatian costumery
21.
Alberto Randegger
–
Randegger was born in Trieste, Italy, the son of musician mother and schoolteacher father. He met Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste, in 1850, and later known as a great interpreter of Verdis operas. He was a pupil of Jean Lafont in piano and of Luigi Ricci in composition and his earliest compositions were masses and other pieces of church music and, with two other young pupils of Ricci, produced two ballets and an opera, Il Lazzarone, in 1852. In 1854 he composed opera, Bianca Capello, at Brescia. During this period, he served as music director of theatres in Fiume, Senigallia, Brescia. Randegger began work in London as an organist at St. Pauls in Regents Park from his arrival there, in 1854, beginning in 1857, he conducted Italian opera at the St. Jamess Theatre. He also became known as a teacher of singing in London. Beginning in 1868, he was conductor at the Wolverhampton Festival, the same year, he was appointed professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was appointed a director and a member of the committee of management. He continued teaching at both the College and the Academy until his death, in 1882, Randegger was elected an honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society. As a composer, in addition to his works, Randegger wrote a comic opera, The Rival Beauties, the vocal scenas Medea. He also edited collections of vocal music and collaborated with T. J. H. Marzials on the libretto for Arthur Goring Thomass opera Esmeralda. Randegger served as director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company from 1879 to 1885. Upon the resignation of Julius Benedict in 1881, he became conductor of the Norwich Musical Festival. From 1885 to 1887, he also conducted Henry Leslies Choir and he conducted the Queens Hall Choral Society and the first two seasons of symphony concerts at Queens Hall from 1895 to 1897. Finally, from 1887 to 1898, he conducted at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and at the Royal Opera House, randeggers most important legacy, outside of his conducting, was a textbook entitled Singing, published in 1879 by Novello & Co, which is still used. In 1882, Randegger was elected a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Randegger was married first to the actress Adeline de Leuw whom he divorced in 1892, Randegger died at his home in London at the age of 79. 1911 encyclopedia profile Obituary, Alberto Randegger, Born April 13,1832, Died December 18,1911, The Musical Times, Vol.53, No
22.
Dickens
–
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the worlds best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era and his works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity, born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors prison. Dickenss literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the publication of narrative fiction. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audiences reaction, and he modified his plot. For example, when his wifes chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities and his plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the poor chipped in hapennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up. Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age and his 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also adapted, and, like many of his novels. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London, Dickens has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of depth, loose writing. The term Dickensian is used to something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 1812, at 1 Mile End Terrace, Landport in Portsea Island and his father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office and was temporarily stationed in the district. He asked Christopher Huffam, rigger to His Majestys Navy, gentleman, Huffam is thought to be the inspiration for Paul Dombey, the owner of a shipping company in Dickenss eponymous Dombey and Son. In January 1815 John Dickens was called back to London, when Charles was four, they relocated to Sheerness, and thence to Chatham, Kent, where he spent his formative years until the age of 11. His early life seems to have been idyllic, though he himself a very small. Charles spent time outdoors but also read voraciously, including the novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding, as well as Robinson Crusoe
23.
The Happy Land
–
The Happy Land is a play with music written in 1873 by W. S. Gilbert and Gilbert Arthur à Beckett. The musical play burlesques Gilberts earlier play, The Wicked World, three characters were made up and costumed to look like the caricatures of Gladstone, Lowe and Ayrton that had appeared in Vanity Fair. The scandal was great enough to be included in the Annual Registers Chronicle of Remarkable Occurrences, the play was censored by Britains Lord Chamberlain, which ironically caused it to become unusually popular. The Happy Land also anticipated some of the themes in the political satire seen in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, including unqualified people in positions of authority, like Sir Joseph in H. M. S. Pinafore, selecting government by competitive examination as in Iolanthe, and especially the importation of English exemplars to improve a naive civilisation, as in Utopia, the Happy Land is a blank verse musical burlesque of Gilberts earlier play, The Wicked World. The plot roughly follows that of The Wicked World, with the powers of love replaced with the disaster of popular government. As in The Wicked World and several other Gilbert works, the play concerns chaos that is wreaked in Fairyland when an element of life in the world is imported. In The Wicked World, this element is mortal love, while in The Happy Land, it is government, which is delivered to Fairyland by Gladstone, Lowe. Stedman calls this a Gilbertian invasion plot, the three characters were described in the cast list as Mr. G. Mr. L. and Mr. A. Gladstones government is portrayed as mean and uncaring of Britains national interests, the three men are seen to lack substance and taste. The daring political attack was almost unprecedented on the English stage, the opening night response was described by Edward Righton, who played Mr. A. Edward, Prince of Wales, attended the play on opening night at the Royal Court Theatre on 3 March 1873. The Lord Chamberlain revoked the plays performance license on 6 March 1873, the theatre was only dark for two or three nights before the play was allowed to reopen. She also published the script as it was originally performed – with the cut sections written in all capital letters, – Miss Litton begs to inform the public that the Lord Chamberlain has forbidden Messrs. Fisher, Hill, and Righton to make up their faces in imitation of Messrs, – Royal Court Theatre,6 March. In fact, wrote The Times, the Lord Chamberlain has proved a mighty instructor, everybody perfectly knows whom are intended to represent, and every line they utter is the signal for an approving roar. The critics mostly praised the piece, although papers disagreed on whether or not the stage should be subject to censorship than the press. For instance, The Manchester Guardian wrote that the satire made Many a brilliant sally at the supposed short-comings of the present government, meanwhile, Gilbert was having some trouble keeping up the pseudonym. Shirley Brooks may have thought F. Tomline was Henry Labouchère, worse, Gilberts friend and collaborator Frederic Clay began vigorously defending him against the absolutely true allegations, forcing Gilbert to quietly take him into his confidence
24.
John Hare (actor)
–
Sir John Hare, born John Fairs, was an English actor and manager of the Garrick Theatre in London from 1889 to 1895. Hare was born in Giggleswick in Yorkshire and was educated at Giggleswick School and he made his first appearance on the stage at Liverpool in 1864, coming to London in 1865, and acting for ten years with the Bancrofts at the Prince of Waless Theatre. He soon built a reputation, particularly in T. W. Robertsons comedies and he was also a founder and first Shepherd of The Lambs. In association with Mr. and Mrs. William Hunter Kendal at the St. Jamess Theatre from 1879 to 1888, Hare established his popularity in London in important character and men of the world parts. The joint management of Hare and Kendal made this one of the chief centers of the dramatic world for a decade. In 1889 he became lessee and manager of the Garrick Theatre, in 1897 he took the Globe Theatre, where his acting in Pineros The Gay Lord Quex was another personal triumph. He became almost as known in the United States as in England. He retired from the stage by 1912, but a few years appeared in films, including Caste, The Vicar of Wakefield. He died in 1921, aged 77 and this article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Hare, Sir John. John Hare, comedian, 1865-1895, A biography, G
25.
William Hunter Kendal
–
William Hunter Kendal was an English actor and theatre manager. He and his wife Madge starred at the Haymarket in Shakespearian revivals, in the 1870s, they starred in a series of fairy comedies by W. S. Gilbert and in many plays on the West End with the Bancrofts and others. In the 1880s, they starred at and jointly managed the St. Jamess Theatre and they then enjoyed a long touring career. Kendal was born William Hunter Grimston in London, the eldest son of Edward Hunter Grimston and his maternal grandfather was a painter, and the boy demonstrated early talent in painting, but his parents urged him to study medicine. He often visited the Soho Theatre to sketch the performers, which led to his acting, in 1861, as Louis XIV, in A Lifes Revenge. Kendal continued at the Soho for two years and then played provincial theatres, including in Glasgow, where he performed for four years, with Charles Kean and others, until 1866. Buckstones company at the Haymarket Theatre in London in 1866, where he performed in a variety of works. In 1869 he married Madge Kendal, a sister of the dramatist, as Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, their professional careers became inseparable, and he invariably acted opposite his wife. His roles included Colonel Blake in J and he was Pygmalion to his wifes Galatea in W. S. Kendal and his wife starred at and managed the Royal Court Theatre with John Hare. They then played at the Prince of Waless Theatre under the management of the Bancrofts in Diplomacy by B. C. Stephenson and Clement Scott, among other plays. In 1879 they began an association with John Hare as joint-managers of the St. Jamess Theatre. The Kendals restored the St. Jamess to popularity and helped to improve the respectability of the Victorian theatre and they imposed a high moral code both on stage and behind the scenes. Some of the Kendals other notable successes in the 1880s included The Squire, Impulse, The Ironmaster, in 1888, however, the Hare and Kendal partnership ended. From that time, the Kendals chiefly toured and they continued to appear in popular plays without interruption until 1908, when they both retired. They had five children, but they became estranged from them, Kendal was a skilful businessman, manager and art collector, investing his share of the theatres profits, after making sure to purchase some jewellery for his wife and a painting for himself. He assembled a collection of contemporary paintings, which the couple displayed in their homes. He was a member of the Garrick Club, and his wife donated a portrait of him by Hugh Walpole to the club. He joined the Junior Carlton, Beefsteak, Arts, Cosmopolitan and he enjoyed fishing, shooting, cycling and riding
26.
Arthur Cecil
–
Arthur Cecil Blunt, better known as Arthur Cecil was an English actor, comedian, playwright and theatre manager. He is probably best remembered for playing the role of Box in the production of Cox and Box, by Arthur Sullivan. Burnand, at the Royal Gallery of Illustration, born in London, Cecil took up amateur dramatics from an early age. In 1869, he made his debut in the one-act comic opera Cox and Box at the Gallery of Illustration in the role of Mr. Box. He remained with the company for five years, Cecil appeared at many London theatres during his career including the Globe, the Gaiety, and Prince of Waless Theatre. Cecil joined a company at the Royal Court Theatre in 1881 and was a co-manager of that theatre from 1883. There, he played in farces including The Rector, The Magistrate, The Schoolmistress and Dandy Dick, later productions there included The Millionaire, as Mr. Guyon, and Mamma, as Miles Henniker. Cecil was born in Mayfair, Westminster, London, England and his parents were Joseph Blunt, a solicitor, and Mary Blunt, née James. He studied for the profession, but he acted in amateur theatricals. Cecil began performing as an amateur at the Richmond Theatre, in 1866, he appeared in the role of Bouncer in an amateur production of the one-act comic opera, Cox and Box by F. C. Coincidentally, on Easter Monday 1869, Cecil made his debut at the Gallery of Illustration in a bill that included Cox and Box. The first piece on the bill was W. S. Gilberts No Cards, thereafter, Cecil often played Box in productions of Cox and Box. This was Cecils first appearance in a German Reed Entertainment, after No Cards, he appeared in other Gilbert works at the Gallery, including Ages Ago, Our Island Home, A Sensation Novel and Happy Arcadia. He also wrote works for the German Reeds, including Doras Dream, in which he also performed. Cecil joined the company at the Globe Theatre later in 1874, playing in works as Gilberts Committed for Trial, as Jonathan Wagstaff and Wig and Gown by James Albery. In September, Cecil was at the Gaiety Theatre, London, reprising his role in Cox and Box opposite the composers brother, Fred Sullivan, in 1876, he was back at the Globe. There, he originated the role of Dr. Downward in Miss Gwilt by Wilkie Collins and he was at the Prince of Waless Theatre during the following three years. There, he played in many pieces, including Peril by Saville Rowe, Stephenson, as Sir Woodbine Grafton, Duty by Albery, The Vicarage, as Noel Haygarth, and Caste by T. W. Robertson, as Sam Gerridge, all in 1879
27.
Arthur Wing Pinero
–
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director. Pinero was born in London, the son of Lucy and John Daniel Pinero and his paternal grandfather was from a Sephardic Jewish family, while his other grandparents were from a Christian English background. He studied law at Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution before going on the stage, in 1874 he joined R. H. Wyndhams company at the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. He received good notice in Sheridans The Rivals, in 1884, Pinero began writing plays in the late 1870s while at the Lyceum, including Daisys Escape in 1879 and Bygones in 1880. He became a prolific and successful playwright, authoring fifty-nine plays and his 1923 romance The Enchanted Cottage was successfully filmed in 1924 and 1945. His House in Order was made into a 1928 silent film starring Tallulah Bankhead, both The Magistrate and Dandy Dick were made into films starring Will Hay. His opera in the style of a morality play, The Beauty Stone, has grown somewhat in popularity in recent years, having gained a recording. In Pineros 1888 play Sweet Lavender, which was so popular that it ran for an extraordinary,683 performances, Pinero was knighted in 1909, becoming the second man to be knighted for services to drama alone after W. S. Gilbert. While tremendously popular in his day, his plays are rarely revived, even in his final years he saw his work starting to go out of style. He died in London in 1934, aged 79, however, The Magistrate was newly produced by the Royal National Theatre and ran from November 2012 – January 2013, in the Olivier Theatre starting John Lithgow and Nancy Carroll among others. After much trial and error, he hit on a solution to this recurring problem. At rehearsal, he would explain loudly and clearly how he wanted the scene played, then he would take his place in the stalls, to watch the woman playing it her own way, not his. Immediately he would rush up and shout, Perfect, perfect, play it exactly like that on the night. And for some reason, on the night, they would play it his way, a word of warning, therefore, is neither gratuitous nor unfriendly. The temper of this country, slow to rouse, is becoming an ugly one, the gate may fall from its hinges. Pinero, A Theatrical Life, John Dawick
28.
Mrs. John Wood
–
Mrs. John Wood, born Matilda Charlotte Vining, was an English actress and theatre manager. Born into a family, Vining travelled the country as a child actor. Over time, she developed a talent for comedy, in 1854, Matilda Vining married John Wood, an English actor. The couple moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where became involved in American theatre. Her first part in the United States was Gertrude in A Loan of a Lover on 11 September 1854, the Woods played Boston for three seasons and for the first three months of their third, appeared at the Wallacks Theatre in New York City. New York was already the centre of American theatre, and Mrs. John Wood came to outshine her husband. T. Allston Brown, a historian of the theatre, offers this explanation for her fame, Mrs. John Wood was a very pretty woman, possessing a fine figure. Her style was excellent in everything she attempted and she possessed the artistic talent which satisfied every demand that could be made by the most rigid stickler for a high degree of merit in a theatrical artist. Mr. and Mrs. John Wood again played Wallacks in the summer of 1857, then moved to San Francisco, there they played Maguires Opera House on 18 January 1858. This season, Mrs. John Wood gained renown for her roles in Hi-a-wa-tha, or, Ardent Spirit and Laughing Waters and Loves Disguises. She may have managed two theatres during this period, the Forrest Theatre in Sacramento for a few weeks in 1858, in mid-1859, Mrs. John Wood parted ways with her husband, daughter, and mother and returned to New York. There she joined Dion Boucicaults troupe at the Winter Garden Theatre, Mrs. Wood and Boucicault clashed, so Mrs. Wood decided to tour New York independently for three seasons. The song was well-received and encored seven times, contributing to the popularity of the song as a Civil War anthem for the Confederacy, Mrs. Wood met Laura Keene in the summer of 1860 while playing at Keenes playhouse, which was renamed the Olympic Theatre in 1863. She managed Jane Englishs Theatre from its reopening on 8 October 1863, soon after, she became manager of the Olympic, which changed its name to Mrs. John Woods Olympic Theatre. She stayed there three seasons, during which she concentrated on burlesques and comedies, on 30 June 1866, Mrs. John Wood departed for England. Mrs. Wood continued her management career at the St. James Theatre in London from 1869 until mid-1872 and she then returned to the United States for the 1872-1873 season, then returned to England. In 1881, she appeared in Foggertys Fairy by W. S. Gilbert, until her retirement in 1893, she managed a number of English theatres. Mrs. Wood died in 1915 at the age of 83, a History of the New York Stage, From the First Performance in 1732 to 1901
29.
Sydney Grundy
–
Sydney Grundy was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world and he is, however, perhaps best remembered today as the librettist of several comic operas, notably Haddon Hall. Grundy was born in Manchester, England, the son of Alderman Charles Sydney Grundy and he was educated at Owens College, Manchester, and studied law at the Middle Temple. He was called to the bar in 1869 and practised law until 1876 and his early one-act farce, A Little Change, was produced at the Haymarket Theatre in 1872 by the Kendals. This was followed by All at Sea in 1873, also starring the Kendals, in 1876, Grundy published The Days of His Vanity. He wrote Mammon for W. H. Vernon at the Strand Theatre in 1877, early comedies included The Glass of Fashion, The Silver Shield, and the blank verse Clito for Wilson Barrett. Grundy became well known as an adapter of French and German plays, cleaning them up for British audiences, as the protagonist in his 1900 play, A Debt of Honour, explains, It all takes place in Paris, nobody pretends that such things happen here. The Bells of Haslemere, written with H. Pettitt, was a success at the Adelphi Theatre in 1887. He also created a farce in three acts, The Arabian Nights, an adaptation of von Mosers Haroun al Raschid, Pompadour, written with W. G. Wilts, and Mamma, an adaptation of Les surprises du Divorce. Grundys original libretti included the one-act musical absurdity Popsy Wopsy, the full-length The Vicar of Bray and Pocahontas and these Solomon and Grundy comic operas toured extensively in both Britain and the US. His Haddon Hall, with Sir Arthur Sullivan, dramatised the legend of Dorothy Vernons elopement from Haddon Hall with John Manners, later successful adaptations included A Pair of Spectacles at the Garrick Theatre, from Les Petits Oiseaux of Labiche and Delacour. In 1890, Lilly Langtry presented Grundys Esther Sandraz at the St. Jamess Theatre, many of Grundys plays also had runs in Australia. Grundy died in London at the age of 66, Sydney Grundy at the Internet Broadway Database Sydney Grundy at the Internet Movie Database
30.
Eric Lewis (actor)
–
Frederic Lewis Tuffley, better known by his stage name, Eric Lewis, was an English comedian, actor and singer. Lewis began performing in musical sketches in Brighton in the 1870s. He made his London performing debut in 1880 and joined the DOyly Carte Opera Company in 1882, Lewis was born in Northampton and raised in Brighton. Lewis made his first public appearance in musical sketches in local concert halls in Brighton in the late 1870s. He appeared at St. Jamess Hall in Brighton in October 1879 with Arthur Law, by 1880, Lewis had begun presenting comic musical sketches at the Royal Polytechnic Institution and St. Georges Hall, where he sometimes took the place of the comedian Corney Grain. In 1881, he made his London stage debut in Herbert Beerbohm Trees company at the Haymarket Theatre as Pilate Pump in Blue, in 1882, he joined the touring Alice Barth Opera Company, playing a number of roles with them. Lewis joined the DOyly Carte Opera Company in December 1882 as the understudy to George Grossmith in the principal roles of the Gilbert. Grossmith was rarely ill or absent from the stage, however and his only substantial opportunity to play one of the principal comedian roles came when he played Ko-Ko in The Mikado during August and September 1886. Lewis was, however, given several roles in the curtain raisers that often were performed together with the Gilbert. The Carp enjoyed a long run for a curtain raiser. So long, according to Lewiss colleague Rutland Barrington, that at the end of the one night, when Lewis. A voice from the gallery responded, About time, too, in June 1885, Lewis played together with Barrington in an afternoon musical dialogue, Mad to Act, with words by Barrington and music by Wilfred Bendall, at the Japanese Village in Knightsbridge. Frustrated by his position as understudy to an actor who had ever taken ill in four years. Lytton went on to perform with the DOyly Carte Opera Company until 1934, Lewis was soon performing in the West End of London at the Royalty Theatre in April 1887 in Ivy, and in May in a comedy entitled A Tragedy. In June 1887, Lewis performed in a comedietta by Andrew Longmuir called Cleverly Managed, John Wood and also featuring Arthur Cecil. In January 1889, he starred in The Begums Diamonds by J. P. Hurst at the Avenue Theatre. In July of that year, he was back at the Court Theatre starring with Mrs. John Wood, Cecil and Weedon Grossmith in Aunt Jack, a farce by Ralph Lumley. The next year, he had his first big musical comedy success as the foppish Duke of Fayensburg in the successful operetta La Cigale, burnand and Edmond Audran at the Lyric Theatre, starring Geraldine Ulmar
31.
Harley Granville-Barker
–
Harley Granville-Barker was an English actor, director, playwright, manager, critic, and theorist. After early success as an actor in the plays of George Bernard Shaw he increasingly turned to directing and was a figure in British theatre in the Edwardian. As a writer his plays, which tackled difficult and controversial subject matter, Harley Granville-Barker was born in London, England on 25 November 1877. He left school at 14 and began a career in acting, as his career blossomed, he seemed to excel in roles that were a culmination of intelligence and romantic dreaminess. This landed him many such as, Tanner in Man and Superman, Cusins in Major Barbara, Marchbanks in Candida. To be more specific the Dubedat and Cusins characters were written by George Bernard Shaw with Granville-Barker specifically in mind, however, performing no longer appealed to Granville-Barker so he gave it up in 1911. With an interest for theatre still at heart, he decided to focus on directing, some of his first assignments were with the Stage Society, but it wasnt until 1904 when he worked with the Royal Court Theatre that his directing career took off. From 1904 to 1907 he was considered to be one of the reformers of the Edwardian Stage. While working with the Royal Court, he collaborated with J. E. Vedrenne to mount almost 1,000 performances, many of these performances were classics while some were new pieces work. Among the new pieces of work, were plays written by George Bernard Shaw. Granville-Barker often worked with Shaw to assist in staging his plays, as the Vedrenne-Barker seasons closed with the Royal Court, new opportunities opened with the Duke of Yorks Theatre in 1910. This new opportunity reminded Granville-Barker of the need for more repertory companies, in 1904 he collaborated with William Archer to write a book that argued for a national theatre, unfortunately it was a lost cause that became one of the biggest disappointments in his life. However, his efforts did not go to waste but added to the growth of the regional repertory movement in Britain, Granville-Barkers directing career boomed with three famous productions of Shakespeare at the Savoy Theatre The Winters Tale and Twelfth Night during 1912 and A Midsummer Nights Dream in 1914. Granville-Barker took these productions and removed all classic scenery and replaced it with symbolic scenery, the year before he met his first wife, Granville-Barker wrote The Voysey Inheritance which is considered to be a masterpiece of the Edwardian stage. However, his plays did not sit well with the Edwardian audience. They found his plays to be incomprehensible, according to The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance, his style was more similar to the styles of Chekhov by putting the action under the surface. Although his audience may not have him, this did not stop Granville-Barker from discussing important issues in society. In 1907 Granville-Barkers play Waste was banned due to the topic of abortion, in 1909, three volumes of his plays, The Voysey Inheritance, Waste and The Marrying of Ann Leete were published in a limited edition of 50 copies printed on handmade paper in a slipcase
32.
George Bernard Shaw
–
He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman, Pygmalion and Saint Joan. With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1873, where he established himself as a writer and novelist. By the mid-1880s he was a theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist Fabian Society, Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, 1894s Arms and the Man. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas. By the early twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included Major Barbara, The Doctors Dilemma and Caesar, Shaws expressed views were often contentious, he promoted eugenics and alphabet reform while opposing vaccination and organised religion. He courted unpopularity by denouncing both sides in the First World War as equally culpable and he castigated British policy on Ireland in the postwar period, and became a citizen of the Irish Free State in 1934, maintaining dual citizenship. He was prolific, finishing during the years a series of often ambitious plays which achieved varying degrees of popular success. Since Shaws death, opinion has varied about his works and he has at times been rated as second only to William Shakespeare among English-language dramatists, analysts recognise his extensive influence on generations of playwrights. The word Shavian has entered the language as encapsulating Shaws ideas, Shaw was born at 3 Upper Synge Street in Portobello, a lower-middle-class part of Dublin. He was the youngest child and only son of George Carr Shaw and his elder siblings were Lucinda Frances and Elinor Agnes. The Shaw family was of English descent and belonged to the dominant Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland, George Carr Shaw and his relatives secured him a sinecure in the civil service, from which he was pensioned off in the early 1850s, thereafter he worked irregularly as a corn merchant. In 1852 he married Bessie Gurly, in the view of Shaws biographer Michael Holroyd she married to escape a tyrannical great-aunt, if, as Holroyd and others surmise, Georges motives were mercenary, then he was disappointed, as Bessie brought him little of her familys money. She came to despise her ineffectual and often drunken husband, with whom she shared what their son later described as a life of shabby-genteel poverty. By the time of Shaws birth, his mother had become close to George John Lee, Shaw retained a lifelong obsession that Lee might have been his biological father, there is no consensus among Shavian scholars on the likelihood of this. The young Shaw suffered no harshness from his mother, but he recalled that her indifference. He found solace in the music that abounded in the house, Lee was a conductor and teacher of singing, Bessie had a fine mezzo-soprano voice and was much influenced by Lees unorthodox method of vocal production. The Shaws house was filled with music, with frequent gatherings of singers and players
33.
Movie theater
–
A movie theater or movie theatre is a venue, usually a building, that contains an auditorium for viewing films, for entertainment. Most, but not all, movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, Some movie theaters, however, are operated by non-profit organizations or societies which charge members a membership fee to view films. The film is projected with a projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium while the dialogue, sounds. Since the 1970s, subwoofers have used for low-pitched sounds. In the 2010s, most movie theaters are equipped for digital cinema projection, removing the need to create, a great variety of films are shown at cinemas, ranging from animated films for children, blockbusters for general audiences and documentaries for patrons who are interested in non-fiction topics. The smallest movie theaters have a viewing room with a single screen. In the 2010s, most movie theaters have multiple screens, the largest theater complexes, which are called multiplexes—a design developed in the U. S. in the 1960s—have up to 25 screens. The audience members sit on padded seats which in most theaters are set up on a sloped floor. Movie theaters typically sell soft drinks, popcorn and candy and some theaters also sell hot fast food, in some jurisdictions, movie theaters are licensed to sell alcoholic drinks. A movie theater may also be referred to as a theatre, movie house, film house. In the US, theater has long been the preferred spelling, while in the UK, Canada, the latter terms, as well as their derivative adjectives cinematic and kinematic, ultimately derive from Greek κινῆμα, κινήματος —movement, motion. In the countries where those terms are used, the theatre is usually reserved for live performance venues. Colloquial expressions, mostly applied to motion pictures and motion picture theaters collectively, include the silver screen, specific to North American term is the movies, while specific terms in the UK are the pictures, the flicks and for the facility itself the flea pit. A screening room is a theater, often a private one. Open air place in ancient times for viewing spectacles and plays, the term theater comes from the Old French word theatre, from the 12th century and. The use of the theatre to mean a building where plays are shown dates from the 1570s in the English language. The earliest precursors to movies were magic lantern shows, magic lanterns used a glass lens, a shutter and a powerful lamp to project images from glass slides onto a white wall or screen. The invention of the Argand lamp in the 1790s, limelight in the 1820s, the magic lantern could project rudimentary moving images, which was achieved by the use of various types of mechanical slides
34.
World War II
–
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
35.
John Osborne
–
John James Osborne was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his excoriating prose and intense critical stance towards established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre, in a productive life of more than 40 years, Osborne explored many themes and genres, writing for stage, film and TV. His personal life was extravagant and iconoclastic and he was notorious for the ornate violence of his language, not only on behalf of the political causes he supported but also against his own family, including his wives and children. Osborne was one of the first writers to address Britains purpose in the post-imperial age and he was the first to question the point of the monarchy on a prominent public stage. Osborne was born on 12 December 1929 in London, the son of Thomas Godfrey Osborne, a commercial artist and advertising copywriter of South Welsh extraction, and Nellie Beatrice, a Cockney barmaid. Thomas Osborne died in 1941, leaving the boy an insurance settlement which he used to finance a private education at Belmont College. He entered the school in 1943, but was expelled in the term of 1945, after whacking the headmaster. A School Certificate was the formal qualification he acquired. After school, Osborne went home to his mother in London, a job tutoring a touring company of junior actors introduced him to the theatre. He soon became involved as a manager and acting, joining Anthony Creightons provincial touring company. Osborne tried his hand at writing plays, co-writing his first, The Devil Inside Him, with his mentor Stella Linden, around this time he also married Pamela Lane. His second play Personal Enemy was written with Anthony Creighton, Personal Enemy was staged in regional theatres before he submitted Look Back in Anger. It was submitted to all over London and returned with great rapidity. In his autobiography, Osborne writes, The speed with which it had returned was not surprising. It was like being grasped at the arm by a testy policeman. Finally it was sent to the newly formed English Stage Company at Londons Royal Court Theatre, formed by actor-manager and artistic director George Devine, the company had seen its first three productions flop and urgently needed a success if it was to survive. Devine was prepared to gamble on this play because he saw in it a ferocious, Osborne was living on a leaky houseboat on the River Thames at the time with Creighton, stewing up nettles from the riverbank to eat. So keen was Devine to contact Osborne that he rowed out to the boat to tell him he would like to make the play the fourth production to enter repertory, the play was directed by Tony Richardson and starred Kenneth Haigh, Mary Ure and Alan Bates
36.
Tony Richardson
–
Cecil Antonio Tony Richardson was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film Tom Jones, Richardson was born in Shipley, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1928, the son of Elsie Evans and Clarence Albert Richardson, a chemist. Those he cast in his student productions included Shirley Williams, John Schlesinger, Richardson was married to actress Vanessa Redgrave from 1962 to 1967. The couple had two daughters, Natasha and Joely Richardson, both actresses and he left Redgrave for actress Jeanne Moreau, although the marriage he had anticipated never materialised. In 1972 he also had a relationship with Grizelda Grimond, who was a secretary for Richardsons business partner Oscar Lewenstein, Grizelda gave birth to his daughter, Katharine Grimond, on 8 January 1973. Richardson was bisexual, but never acknowledged it publicly until after he contracted HIV and he died of complications from AIDS in 1991. In 1955, in his debut, Richardson produced Jean Giraudouxs The Apollo of Bellac for Television with Denholm Elliott. Around the same time he began to be active in Britains Free Cinema movement, part of the British New Wave of directors, he was involved in the formation of the English Stage Company, along with his close friend George Goetschius and George Devine. He directed John Osbornes play Look Back in Anger at the Royal Court Theatre, then in 1957 he directed Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice in Osbornes next play The Entertainer, again for the Royal Court. In 1964 Richardson received two Academy Awards for Tom Jones and his next film was The Loved One, during which he worked with established stars including John Gielgud, Rod Steiger and Robert Morse working in Hollywood both on location and on the sound stage. In his autobiography he confesses that he did not share the general admiration of Haskell Wexler and his musical composers included Antoine Duhamel, John Addison and Shel Silverstein. His screenwriters were Jean Genet, Christopher Isherwood, Terry Southern, Marguerite Duras, Edward Bond, Richardson and Osborne eventually fell out during production of the film Charge of the Light Brigade. The basic issue was Osbornes unwillingness to go through the rewrite process, Richardson himself had a different version. In his autobiography he writes that Osborne was angry at being replaced, in a small rôle, Osborne took literary revenge by creating a fictionalised and pseudonymous Richardson – a domineering and arrogant character whom everyone hated – in his play Hotel in Amsterdam. Stylistically, Richardsons work was highly varied, mademoiselle was shot noir-style on location in rural France with a static camera, monochrome film stock and no music. The Charge of the Light Brigade was part epic and part animated feature, ned Kelly was what might be called an Aussie-western. Laughter in the Dark and A Delicate Balance were psycho-dramas, joseph Andrews was a return to the mood of Tom Jones. He financed the escape from Wormwood Scrubs prison of the spy, in 1974 he went to Los Angeles to work on a script with Sam Shepard, and took up residence there
37.
The Entertainer (play)
–
The Entertainer is a three-act play by John Osborne, first produced in 1957. His first play, Look Back in Anger, had attracted mixed notices, having depicted an angry young man in the earlier play, Osborne wrote, at Laurence Oliviers request, about an angry middle-aged man in The Entertainer. Its main character is Archie Rice, a failing music-hall performer, the first performance was given on 10 April 1957 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. That theatre was known for its commitment to new and nontraditional drama, the play is in three acts, sub-divided into thirteen scenes. Some are set in the Rice familys house, and others show Archie Rice on stage at the music hall, Billy Rice, a retired music-hall star, settles down at home and is interrupted by his granddaughter Jean, making an unannounced visit. They talk about Archie and Phoebe, Archies second wife, Jeans stepmother, Billy speaks negatively of them and of modern society in general. In a music hall, Archie opens the show with a short would-be comic patter, the song is called Why should I care. And ends, If they see that youre blue, theyll look down on you, at the house Billy, Phoebe and Jean drink and talk. Jean explains she had a disagreement with Graham, her fiancé and they also discuss Archies sons, Mick and Frank. Mick is in the army, fighting overseas, but Frank refused to be conscripted and served a jail sentence in consequence. He tells them his show did not go well, and makes some casually bigoted remarks about race and he proposes a toast to the twentieth anniversary of his not paying income tax. Archie learns of Jeans broken engagement but appears unconcerned, Phoebe drinks too much and becomes emotional and retires to bed. Billy also turns in, leaving Archie and Jean alone and he reveals that Mick has been taken prisoner. The next day at the house, the rest of the find out from the newspaper that Mick is a prisoner of war. They take comfort from the report says he will be sent back home. Billy and Phoebe talk about Archies lack of understanding, Billy talks about the good old days and snaps at Phoebe for talking too much. Phoebe talks about Bill, Archies brother, and how he bailed Archie out of a lot of trouble and has treated Phoebe kindly, Archie agrees Bill has been good to them. Frank wants to celebrate Jeans visit and Micks homecoming, Archie gives a monologue about how crazy the family is and how it is hard for Jean to understand them well since she is the sensible one
38.
Laurence Olivier
–
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, was an English actor who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles, late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no connections, but Oliviers father, a clergyman. After attending a school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Cowards Private Lives, in 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, there his most celebrated roles included Shakespeares Richard III and Sophocless Oedipus. From 1963 to 1973 he was the director of Britains National Theatre. His own parts there included the role in Othello and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Among Oliviers films are Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director, Henry V, Hamlet and his later films included Sleuth, Marathon Man, and The Boys from Brazil. His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence, Long Days Journey into Night, Love Among the Ruins, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brideshead Revisited, Oliviers honours included a knighthood, a life peerage and the Order of Merit. For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatres largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, the youngest of the three children of the Revd Gerard Kerr Olivier and his wife Agnes Louise, née Crookenden. Their elder children were Sybille and Gerard Dacres Dickie and his great-great-grandfather was of French Huguenot descent, and Olivier came from a long line of Protestant clergymen. Gerard Olivier had begun a career as a schoolmaster, but in his thirties he discovered a strong religious vocation and was ordained as a priest of the Church of England and he practised extremely high church, ritualist Anglicanism and liked to be addressed as Father Olivier. This made him unacceptable to most Anglican congregations, and the church posts he was offered were temporary. This meant a nomadic existence, and for Laurences first few years, in 1912, when Olivier was five, his father secured a permanent appointment as assistant priest at St Saviours, Pimlico. He held the post for six years, and a family life was at last possible
Sloane Square
