Playbill Collection

Collection Items

• 

  At the old Theatre, near the Capitol, by the Virginia Company of Comedians, on Friday the 3d of June will be presented The Beggar's Opera ... [16 lines listing performance information] ... After the Opera Mr. Godwin will perform the Dance called The Drunken Peasant ... [2 lines of performance information] ... To which will be added a Farce, called The Anatomist, or Sham Doctor ... [12 lines of performance information] ...

  [Williamsburg, Virginia : William Rind, 1768].

  At head of title: "By Permission of the Worshipful the Mayor of Williamsburg (For the Benefit of Mrs. Parker)," with royal arms of George III of Great Britain.

  Printed in red and black.

  "The Musick of the Opera will be conducted by Mr. Pelham, and others."

  Tears to the bottom of the broadside have resulted in the loss of some text.

  These performances were advertised in William Rind's Virginia Gazette for May 26, 1768 and Purdie and Dixon's Virginia Gazette of the same date.

• 

  At the old Theatre near the Capitol, by the Virginia Company of Comedians, on Friday, being the 15th instant (April) will be presented a tragedy, called The Orphan, or The Unhappy Marriage ... [10 lines listing performance information] ... after the play a comic dance, called the Bedlamites ... [3 lines listing performance information] ... To which will be added (the second night) a pantomime entertainment, in which will be introduced a new scene, not before presented, called Harlequin Skeleton, or The Burgomaster Trick'd ... [8 lines listing performance information]

  [Williamsburg, Virginia : William Rind?, 1768].

  At head of title: "By Permission of the Worshipful the Mayor of Williamsburg",

  These performances were advertised in William Rind's Virginia Gazette for April 14, 1768.

• 

  At the Old Theatre near the Capitol, By the Virginia Company of Comedians, will be presented on Friday, the 13th of May, A Comedy, called The Constant Couple, Or A Trip to the Jubilee ... [12 lines of performance information] ... Between the 1st and 2d Acts a Prologue, in the Character of a Country Boy ... After the 2d Act a Dance, called the Coopers ... After the 3d Act a Cantata ... And in, the 5th Act a Minuet ... After Play a Hornpipe, by Mr. Godwin. To which will be added a Farce, called The Miller of Mansfield... [11 lines of performance information].

  [Williamsburg, Va. : William Rind, 1768]

  At head of title: "By Permission of the Worshipful Mayor of Williamsburg, (For the Benefit of Mrs. Osborne)"

  Printed in red and black.

  "Tickets to be had of Mrs. Osborne, at Mrs. Rathells' Store, and at the Door, of the Theatre."

  Mrs. Rathell was Catherine Rathell, milliner of Williamsburg, Virginia.

  The Playbill is torn at the bottom affecting some text.

  The date of the performance has been changed by hand: "Friday" has been crossed out and "Wednesday" added; "13th" has been crossed out and "18th" added.

  These performances were advertised in William Rind's Virginia Gazette for May 12, 1768 and Purdie and Dixon's Virginia Gazette of the same date. Both papers give the date of the performance as Wednesday, May 18th.

• 

  At the Old Theatre near the Capitol, By the Virginia Company of Comedians, On Wednesday the 8th Instant (June) will be presented A Comedy, wrote by Mr. Fielding call'd, The Miser ... [13 lines of performance information] ... After the play, an Epilogue ... and Bucks Have At Ye All ... To which will be added, a Farce, called The Brave Irishman ... [10 lines of performance information] .. To conclude with a Dance, call'd the Drunken Peasant ...

  At head of title: "Mr. Charlton. By Permission of the Worshipful Mayor of Williamsburg "

  "Williamsburg, in Virginia" written in a contemporary hand above the title.

  No copies of Rind's issue of the Virginia Gazette for June 2, 1768 where the play was likely advertised are known to exist.

  "Tickets to be had of Mr. Rind, Mr. Edward Charlton, Mr. Russell, and of Mr. Thomas Charlton, or at the Door of the Theatre. To begin at Seven o'Clock precisely. Vivant Rex & Regina."

• 

  By the American Company. At the Theatre in Williamsburg, this present Wednesday (the 20th June) The Clandestine Marriage ... [14 lines of performance information] ... To which will be added a Musical Entertainment, called Thomas & Sally: Or, The Sailor's Return. [4 lines of performance information].

  "By Authority"-- at head of title.

  The Doors will be opened at 6, and the Play being precisely at 7 o'Clock.

  Tickets to be had at the Post Office, or Mr. Patrick Galt, near the Capitol, and of Mr. James Russell, at Doctor Anderson's Shop.

  "Boxes 7s. 6d. Pit and Gallery 5s."

  "N.B. No Person can, on any Pretence whatsoever, be admitted at the Stage Door".

  Printed in red and black.

  Royal crest at head of playbill.

  Printer's ornaments.

  Thomas Jefferson records his attendance at this performance in his (Memorandum Books, 1:205). Washington recorded in his Diaries 2:248 that he attended a play on the same day as this performance.

• 

  By the American Company. At the Theatre in Williamsburg, this present Wednesday, the 1st of May, An English Comick Opera called Love in a Village ... [14 lines of performance information] ... To which will be added a Farce called The Buck: Or, The Englishman in Paris. [9 lines of performance information].

  "By Authority"-- at head of title.

  "Tomorrow (by command) The Clandestine Marriage, and the Padlock."

  "To begin Precisely at 7 o'Clock."

  "Tickets may be had at the Post Office, and of Mr. Patrick Galt near the Capitol. Boxes 7s. 6d. Pit 5s."

  Printer's ornaments.

• 

  By the American Company. At the Theatre in Fredericksburg, on Tuesday being the 28 of May will be presented a Comedy called The Provoked Husband : Or, A Journey to London ... [13 lines of performance information] ... To Which Will Be Added Love a-la-mode

  "Williamsburg, in Virginia" written in a contemporary hand above the title.

  The blank spaces for the day and date of the performance and title of the second performance were completed in a contemporary hand.

  Printer's ornaments.

  "To begin precisely at 7 o'Clock.

  "Tickets to be had at Captn. Weedons @ 5/ Each"

  "Wednesday - Hamlet Thursday - All in the Wrong"

  The location for ticket purchases and list of upcoming performances were completed by hand.

  Captain George Weedon was a tavern keeper in Fredericksburg, Virginia and future general in the Continental Army.

• 

  An Evening's Lounge; Or, Antidote for the Spleen ... Prologue ... Lottery Ticket ... Dissertation On Gaming and Drinking ... Portrait of the Audience. After which a Piece, call'd The Sultan: Or, A Peep into the Seraglio ... A Piece call'd the Country Girl; Or, Square Toes Outwitted ... After which, (by Particular Desire) the Romp. The whole to conclude with the Standard of Liberty.

  "Last Night this Present Evening Decr., 30th 1795 - at the Theatre Fayetteville North Carolina" added in a contemporary hand at head of title.

  Several parts of the printed program have been crossed out and updated with manuscript insertions. The song "Dear Nancy I've Sail'd" has been crossed out and replaced with "Spanking Jack." Following "LOTTERY" "Female Quaker" and "On Good Temper" have been crossed out. The "Dissertation on Gaming and Drinking" has been corrected in manuscript. "Gaming and Drinking" has been struck out and replaced by "Jealousy". The Comic Song "Murder in Irish" has been struck out and replaced by "Waggoner or wo Ball wo.

  Mr. & Mrs. Henderson, (From the Theatre, Charleston) Will perform several pieces ...

  The ticket price and purchase locations have been inserted by hand.

  N.B. Variety With Entertainments by several Gentlemen for their Amusement"-- at tail.

  Printer's ornaments.

• 

  An Evening's Lounge; Or, Antidote for the Spleen. Mr. & Mrs. Henderson (From the Theatre Charleston) Will perform several pieces ...On Wooden Heads; Connoisseur; Companion to ditto; Female Quaker; On Good Temper; Laughing Philosopher; Crying Philosopher; With Dibdin's Sound Argument; Or, Let us all be unhappy together. A Free Mason's Wife. On Oratory; Scotch Orator; Irish Orator; Favorite Song, called Lucky Escape. Polite Woman; Good Sort of a Woman; Mighty Good Sort of a Woman; What a Gentleman should be. Song, Dear Nancy I've sail'd &c.; Illustration on Law, or, Bullum versus Boatum. Selected Pieces from The School for Scandal. Comic Song John Bull's Expedition to Church ... The Country Girl; Hippisley's Drunken Man. The whole to conclude with a Piece called The Whimsical Courtship, or, The Cit Outwitted.

  "Possitively the last Night."-- at head of title.

  "Theatre at Fayetteville, Decr. 31st. 1795." -- written in a contemporary hand above the title.

  Some pieces have been crossed out and others added by a contemporary hand.

  The locations for the purchase of tickets has been left blank.

  "The Doors will be opened at half past Five, and the Performance begin at half past Six."-- at bottom of the bill.

• 

  On Monday Evening next, Will be performed ... a Comic Entertainment, extracted from the Play of the Register Office To which will be added a New Pantomime called Robinson Crusoe, or Harlequin Friday ... Between the Play & Farce will be Exhibited a Currious dwarf Dance, by two Lilliputian Gentlemen ... Mrs. Dumoulin will dance in the Character of a Drunken Country Clown The whole to conclude with an Epilouge ...

  A handwritten playbill for an evening's entertainment in Fayetteville, North Carolina at the end of the 18th-century.

  "Fayetteville in North Carolina" -- appears at the top of the page in a different hand from the body of the text.

• 

  This Evening, Friday March the 31st, 1797, Will Be Presented, A Variety of Entertainments, In Five Parts ...Part I. Selected Scenes From The Musical Entertainment of The Romp ...Part II. Selected Scenes From Row's Celebrated Tragedy of Jane Shore ... Part III. A Song From The Farce Of The Agreeable Surprise ... Part IV. Selected Scenes From The Musical Farce Of The Virgin Unmask'd ... Part V. ... The Scenes of Lackland And The Widdow Casey, From The Opera Of Fontain Bleau ; Or Our Way In France

  "New Theatre, Newbern"-- at head of title.

  "Box Tickets half a Dollar, Childrens Tickets a quarter of a dollar."

  "A Gallery is erected for People of Colour, at a quarter of a Dollar."

  "The Doors to be opened at half past 6 o'clock, and to begin at 7 o'clock."

  "Tickets to be had at Mrs. Downs' and Mr. Mitchell's Tavern's, of Monsieur Fabre, in Craven street ; at the Printing-Office, of J. Pasteur ; and of Mr. Edgar, at the Theatre."

  "To-morrow Evening, The Busy Body, With A Variety of Other Entertainments."

• 

  On Thursday evening, the 20th of July, 1797, will be exhibited, the Beauties of the Comic Opera of Inkle and Yarico ... [five lines of performance information] Music on the Guitar. After which A Dish Of All Sorts, by Mr. Wall, viz. A Dissertation on Love, with a Poetical Picture of Jealousy. Also, Man the Soul of Contradiction. A Critical Dissertation on Noses, Hats, Sneezing, and Snuff-Taking. To which will be added, the Farce of the Wrangling Lovers, Or, Like Master Like Man ... [4 lines of performance information] The whole to conclude with Shakespears's Seven Ages, or All the World's a Stage Pronounced by Mr. Wall and sung by Mr. Lathy ...

  "The Last Night of Performance at Edenton, this Season."-- at head of title.

  "Edenton, in North Carolina."-- written in a contemporary hand above the title.

  "To begin at half past seven o'clock. Tickets for admittance to be had of Mr.
  Douglas at Mr. Gorham's, and at the Printing-Office, price 5 shillings each.

  "Days of performance will be announced by the beating of a Drum.