Haymarket Theatre

theater, London, United Kingdom

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June 29, 2026

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The Haymarket Theatre in London was granted a patent in 1766 by the lord chamberlain, Samuel Foote, for summer performances. This patent allowed it to operate as a legitimate theatre, distinguishing it from unlicensed venues that offered "public entertainments" or pantomimes. The concept of patent theatres in London originated after the Restoration in 1660, when Charles II granted exclusive rights to Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant to form acting companies, establishing monopolies on dramatic production. The Licensing Act of 1737 confirmed Drury Lane and Covent Garden as the only legitimate theatres in England, though this exclusivity was gradually eroded. The Theatre Regulation Act of 1843 finally abolished these exclusive rights.1

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proscenium
…of the stage at London’s Haymarket Theatre in 1880, creating a “picture frame” or an imaginary fourth wall through which the audience experienced the illusion of spying on characters behaving exactly as if they were unobserved. With the advent of electricity, the illusion was further enhanced by controlled lighting, which…
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…of the stage at London’s Haymarket Theatre in 1880, creating a “picture frame” or an imaginary fourth wall through which the audience experienced the illusion of spying on characters behaving exactly as if they were unobserved. With the advent of electricity, the illusion was further enhanced by controlled lighting, which…
Read More

stagecraft
Early history
At the Haymarket Theatre in London, the oil lamps had chimneys of white and green glass that were controlled by levers, so that raising or lowering the chimneys could effect light changes. Actually, rather than subtly shifting the quality of the light, the chimneys’ movement merely made…
Read More
At the Haymarket Theatre in London, the oil lamps had chimneys of white and green glass that were controlled by levers, so that raising or lowering the chimneys could effect light changes. Actually, rather than subtly shifting the quality of the light, the chimneys’ movement merely made…
Read More