Opera Glasses: approaching 19th century history through the lens of theatre

Organised by

• Department of History

This lecture will discuss how the world of the theatre (in its wider context) can be a particularly interesting lens to understand numerous aspects of nineteenth-century society in its complex entanglements spanning global, national, and local dimensions. After all, historical research has only partly investigated it, thanks to its close association with theatre and music historians, and has often struggled to impose its own specific points of view. As illustrative of such opportunities, four trajectories of research in progress will be examined, approaching key themes in contemporary historical research and dealing with some of the foundational elements in theatrical life (performers, texts, audiences and spaces). In particular, the lecture will focus on the global circuits of performers; the fluidity in the meanings of texts and their close connection to specific performative contexts; the gender of audiences; and the symbolism of spaces.