ELTA Thematic Essays
Each of the following essays has been written to provide helpful context on the collections and their relevance.
Introductory Essay by John Earl
Thematic Essays by Catherine Haill (V&A Museum):
- Animal Performers
- Blackface
- Crime and Punishment
- East End West End
- East London Immigration
- Local Interest
- Marvels and Mysteries
- Military Melodrama
- Music Hall and Variety
- Nautical Drama
- Pantomime
- Playbills, Programmes and Posters
- Stage Adaptations
- Theatregoing in East London
- Women in the 19th Century Theatre
- World of Work
Other essays by the V&A
About the Authors
- John Earl - John Earl worked for 30 years in the LCC and GLC Historic Buildings Division. From 1986 to 1995 he was Director of the Theatres Trust, the national statutory body charged with the protection of theatres. Since 1996 he has been a consultant, producing conservation assessments and plans for many important listed theatres ranging from Hackney Empire and Hoxton Hall to the London Coliseum and Glasgow King's. He has written extensively on both general conservation and theatre topics, including Building Conservation Philosophy 2003; British Theatres and Music Halls 2005 and (as architectural editor) The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres, 1750-1950, 2000.
- Catherine Haill - Catherine Haill is the curator of popular entertainment in the Theatre & Performance Department of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) located until 2007 at the Theatre Museum in London's Covent Garden. Her specialist areas include pantomime, puppetry, circus, toy theatre, music hall, variety, musical theatre, theatrical printing and advertising, souvenirs and ephemera. She also has general responsibility for the period 1800 to 1945. Her exhibitions at the Theatre Museum include Circus Circus!, Slap, Wind in the Willows, and Drawn To Fame. She has published and lectured on various aspects of the theatre collections including Victorian Illustrated Music Sheets, Theatre Posters, and Fun Without Vulgarity, Victorian & Edwardian Popular Entertainment Posters. She writes pantomimes and is an adjunct lecturer for Syracuse University.
East London Theatre Archive
