ABSTRACT

Theatre was by 1700 a thoroughly commercial enterprise, and the struggle to attract spectators was often extremely fierce. Shakespeare was sensationalised, music suffused the hall, and there was the promise of slapstick and high jinks. To provide all this, companies, with thirty or more members, as well as an often extensive orchestra, were growing larger. The whole programme began at six pm, but even before that the orchestra played. Then came the prologue which, after more music, led to the play, during which there were extensive entr’actes. The play finished with an epilogue, and after that there was more music and an afterpiece, lasting probably forty-five minutes.