Talk:Lisle's Tennis Court

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A fact from Lisle's Tennis Court appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 18 August 2006. The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that in 1661, Lisle's Tennis Court in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London became the first public theatre in England to feature moveable scenery on sliding wings?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2006/August.

Wikipedia

Some notes

[1] - Good general coverage, Map of location
[2] - Kings company used it 1672-1674 while rebuilding the burnt Theatre Royal.
[3] Restoration Comedy in Performance - p. 20: 75 by 30 feet, capacity not much over 400. p 19: 1661 Davenant adapted the court for the Duke's Company. p. 20:Dorset Garden moved into by Duke's Company 1671
[4] The English Stage p. 238: Tudor tennis courts. They had roofs, surrounding galleries, and dimensions similar to earlier private playhouses.
[5] 28 June 1661. Davenant opens with a restaging of The Siege of Rhodes
[6] Howe. April 1695, Betterton's company, having split from the United Company (and having obtained a license to perform the prior month), moves into a remodeled Lisle's Tennis Court. There they are for the next 10 years.
Pepys calls it either the Opera or the Duke's Playhouse. Diary entry for fourth night (July 2) is probably how we know when it opened.
Davenant's tennis court opens about 6 months after Killigrew's, but the extra time seems to be used to do a fancier job: particularly, moving scenery. (Need better refs for that still)

L[7] - Comparing the probably-full-thrust forestage of Vere street with the possible truncated restoration forestage of Lincoln's Inn Fields.

[8] - Musicians "may have been above the proscenium arch or over a forestage entrance door".

Oh My God! I forgot I finally get to use the Cosimo III of Tuscany quote! [9] one source verifying that it's Lincoln's Inn FIelds and not as previously thought, Bridges Street.

This theatre is nearly of a circular form, surrounded, in the inside, by boxes separated from each other, and divided into several rows of seats, for the better accommodation of the ladies and gentlemen, who, in conformity with the freedom of the country, sit together indiscriminately; a large space being left on the ground-floor for the rest of the audience. that's from [10]Nagler p. 204. The diary entry was written by Cosimo III's official diarist, Count Lorenzo Magalotti.

It *must* be from the same section of diary as the differenty-translated but clearyly overlapping text from [11]: The pit was

surrounded within by separate compartments in which there are several degrees [steps] of seating for the greater comfort of the ladies and gentlemen who, according to the liberal custom of the country, share the same boxes. Down below [in the pit] there remains a broad space for other members of the audience. The scenery is entirely changeable, with various transformations and lovely perspectives. Before the play begins, to render the waiting less annoying and inconvenient, there are very graceful instumental pieces to be heard, with the result that many go early just to enjoy this part of the entertainment.

But "nearly of a circular form"? A tennis-court theatre? Oy.

Better refs for Davenant's fancy job?

Latest comment: 18 years ago4 comments2 people in discussion

Right, sorry I've been a little distracted. I know the title doesn't sound like it, but I used ^[1] for my account at Restoration Spectacular, and consequerntly, ahem, so did you. In fact my account--that the moving scenes brought Charles to a public theatre for the first time, that Pepys commented on how Claracilla was deserted, that Pepys greatly admired Hamlet "with scenes", etc, etc, is pretty close to Milhous, pp. 19—20, I see I recycle some actual phrases, even. Would you like to take my reference on trust, or to know more about it--ask and ye shall be told--or to look it up for yourself? The book is on my desk, I could scan pp. 19-20 or whatever, and send you. (But you might easily find a lot of stuff in this book useful, or for that matter fascinating. I love this book. :-) ) Bishonen | talk 01:23, 18 August 2006 (UTC).Reply

Cool! I take your reference on trust, and have put in two footnotes pointing at it -- you might fix up the page numbers for me if you have a chance? I saw that "ahem" up there. Look, full credit given :-) I'm sure the book is great; I wish I could spend the $33.50 on it right now, or, sigh, that I had access to an decent academic library. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 01:53, 18 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

Well, why not click on Amazon.com's tab for "used and new from $1.75"? There's a whole pile of them, it turns out. The low prize, $1.75, includes one "like new" from reputable alibris. And, lessee... a "new hardback with jacket" from somewhere else for $2.95. (The hardback is a very nice good-quality object, I'd get that one.) All in stock and ready to ship. But not to hector you or anything! Bishonen | talk 14:06, 18 August 2006 (UTC).Reply

Uh, because we fear what we have never tried before? Consider your hectoring successful. One book, on the way. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 15:43, 18 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

Notes

^ Milhous, Judith (1979). Thomas Betterton and the Management of Lincoln's Inn Fields 1695–1708. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.

broken link

Latest comment: 9 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

This no longer seems to be working: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/english/murray/Restoration/Theatres/ThTennis.html Indoor Tennis Courts Katiehawks (talk) 14:39, 14 September 2015 (UTC)Reply

External links modified

Latest comment: 7 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

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[1] Milhous, Judith (1979). Thomas Betterton and the Management of Lincoln's Inn Fields 1695–1708. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.

[1]