Theatre and Print in the Age of Garrick

Eighteenth-Century Matters presents Dr. Heather Ladd (University of Lethbridge) for a hands-on exploration of the Garrick Club Collection at the TFDL. Abstract: This talk explores the influence of the most famous actor of his time, David Garrick, (1717-1779) on the world of eighteenth-century letters and beyond. As a playwright, a theatre manager, and a central figure in his social milieu, Garrick helped shape the culture of his age. The talk will address aspects of his literary and dramatic career including his rivalry with fellow playwright and actor Samuel Foote, his relationship to eighteenth-century print culture, and his impact on the literary taste of the period’s cultural consumers. Many of the works examined in the talk are part of the University of Calgary’s Garrick Club Collection, comprised of 2000 plays penned in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and they show how Garrick’s influence extended beyond his last stage performance, in 1776. The Garrick Club, founded in London in 1831, consisted of members involved in the theatrical world, and in many ways continued Garrick’s work as a stage reformer. A play central to this talk is J. R. Planché’s Garrick Fever (1839), a farce set in the eighteenth century, which dramatizes the wild popularity of Garrick’s Hamlet. To register for this event, contact mckennej@ucalgary.ca. Spaces are limited and registration is required.

Location:

TFDL

More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/theatre-and-print-age-garrick