ABSTRACT
Gothic theatre and the imperial extravaganzas constituted a new start, expressing a different world view, a distinct vision, characterised by shocks and upheavals which mirrored the experience of lower class people in the Industrial Revolution. Besides the Gothic, another challenge to traditional spoken drama flourished between about 1790 and 1825. This was the extravagant spectacle of the developing empire. Whether for Gothic melodrama or imperial extravaganza, stages were still marked by grooves parallel to the proscenium arch – Drury Lane had no fewer than seven sets of grooves, which together with the backscene enabled viewers to see a middle distance and a far distance. Thus, J. Byrne’s Nootka Sound, or Britain Prepared staged the response of the imperial government to an incident north-west of Canada, when two British ships were captured by the Spanish. Gas flames were extremely dangerous: they could be a foot high, but with reflectors gave far greater brightness to what was happening on stage.
