TALK: A Tale of Two Theatres

A Tale of Two Theatres: The impacts of the intense rivalry between two 'Royal' theatres of London on the 1744 oratorio season

Presentation Synopsis:

The London Lenten oratorio season of 1774 saw mounting competition between the two Royal licence theatres, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and the Theatre Royal Haymarket, as played out in the advertising carried by the major London dailies. This competition saw the introduction of a ‘never before performed oratorio by Mr. Handel’, on the one hand, and the abandonment of planned performances and the enlistment of old favourites such as Messiah and Judas Maccabeus on the other. This paper looks at how, not only the season but, in one case, the music itself was impacted upon by this rivalry.

About the Speaker:

Emeritus Professor Margaret Seares is a former Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at The University of Western Australia, having retired from that position at the end of 2008. She holds a PhD from UWA in Music, with her specialty being keyboard music of the 18th century. She is a former Head of the School of Music at UWA, and also has extensive experience in arts administration, having held the position of CEO with the Western Australian Department for the Arts (now the Department of Culture and the Arts) from 1995-7, and Chair of the Australia Council, the Australian Government's arts funding and advisory board, from 1997-2001. Since completion of her term as Chair of the Australia Council, she has been a member of a wide range of boards, national and state, involved with arts and education. In 2003 she received the award of Officer of the Order of Australia, for services to arts and culture, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by The University of Western Australia in 2010.

Refreshments 7.30pm, Presentation at 8.00pm

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