The Restoration Period

The Stuart Restoration was re-instatement of the Stuart monarchy in England, Ireland and Scotland replacing the Commonwealth of England which was established in January 1649 after the execution of Charles I, with his son Charles II. It lasted from around 1660 to 1688. 

What was the effect of the restoration period on theatre?

The period prior to the restoration period is called the Commonwealth, the outbreak of a civil war in 1642 lead to Oliver Cromwell (leader of the parliamentarians) coming to power. Over the next 6 years there was a pause on theatre apart from a few short unofficial performances held in the city. However, in 1648, the ban became enshrined in law.  The reason given was that theatre is a sign of "lascivious merth and levity" and therefore incompatible with "these times of humiliation" and civil war.

Though the law prevented it, the underground scene predictably never went away. William Davenant, Poet Laureate and accomplished playwright, was forced to present his theatrical activity inside of his own home to avoid the censorship of the public theatre. In this fashion he was able to get around all of the restrictions and expectations that were placed on drama during that time.

The wait for the restoration of the monarchy was very long and had damaged the industry considerably, however after the death of the arch-Puritan Oliver Cromwell and the accession of Charles II (the 'merry monarch') led to the revival of the theatre scene in England. Furthermore, this was the first time where female actresses were allowed on stage! Previously female parts had been played by men. 

With the Restoration came a new genre of play, the Restoration comedy, which involved bawdy and sexually explicit language, contemporary jokes and references to gossip and scandal and outlandish, witty comedy: in short, everything the Puritan regime had loathed and feared most about stage plays. One example being: The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter by George Etherege, written in 1676. The play is set in Restoration London and follows the womanizer Dorimant as he tries to win over the young heiress Harriet and to disengage himself from his affair with Mrs. Loveit. As you read, the play is exactly what Cromwell tried to ban. On top of this, The protagonist of The Man of Mode is a notorious libertine and man-about-town.

This period of prosperity led to many advancements and the flourishing of theatre. Inigo Jones (a technology innovator for theatre) introduced the concept of moving scenery and the "proscenium arch". Today, proscenium arch is the most commonly used type of staging which shows that the restoration period even effects us today!