The Surrey Theatre

The Surrey Theatre of Blackfriars Road place where The Inchcape Bell was first performed, May 26 1828. (Booth, Pg. 2)

The Surrey was considered a minor theatre, where it specialized in the "English sensational melodrama" (Berg, pg 184)

The theatre did not begin originally as a theatre however, but rather was the Royal Circus and  Equestrian Philharmonic Academy in 1782, where equestrian shows, dog shows, and melodramas were put on. A showcase during the second season of The Royal Circus  had a huge assortment of entertainment: "The Beggers Opera" was the leading piece, followed by a "gunpowder piece" where a citadel was stormed (with horses), then followed by a dog melodrama based off of a ballad. The Royal Circus burnt down in 1805 and was remodeled to become The Surrey in 1816 by Tom Dibdin. The center ring for the horses was changed into a "commodious pit for the spectators" while the horse stalls became the retiring saloons. (M, H.D, Pg.9)

Surrey Theatre Blackfriars Road C1860 London News.

In 1865 the theatre was re-modeled again due to fire. To the right is a picture of the inside of the New Surrey Theatre. The Old Surrey was smaller than the newly reconstructed Surrey. The New Surrey was 200 ft in diameter at it's widest, and 110 ft in width.(M, H.D, Pg. 13) The auditorium is horseshoe shaped, about 68 x 62 feet. The Dome above is 50 ft in diameter, and rises 55 ft from the pit. (pg. 14)

The stage is huge 60 feet deep, and about 100 feet wide for working room (including Scene docks) (pg. 15)

For the people that made up the theatre, a wonderful account by the owner Mr. Dibdins is given in a 1866 book The Two "Circuses" and the two "Surrey Theatres", who, after his new lesseeship, wanted to make the Surrey a place that would deserve attention.  Many painters were employed to produce masses of scenery, with well known artists "Greenwood, Wilson, H. Wilson, Luppino, Whitmore, Senta, Wilkins, H. Smith, Kirby, and Meyrick." (pg. 10)

The band consisted of 22 people, at first led by the conductor of the Drury Lane theatre, Mr. Woodcock, then after his return to the Drury Lane the conductor was Mr. Sanderson. The acting company was made up of 35 men and 32 women, as well as a corpse de ballet. 


What amuses me, is that this type of playhouse would now be seen as a very well thought of modern theatre, whereas at this time it was a lesser theatre. Though it made its name with being the home of Douglas Jerrold's Black Eyed Susan a year after The Inchcape Bell was produced.  (pg 10)

* An idea of the size and shape of the theatre would help the scenic designer and director have a better understanding of the size of this show originally, and how the Inchcape Bell  could be altered to suit a more modern stage.


Resources Used:

Berg, Albert E. The Drama, Painting, Poetry, and Song. New York: P.F. Collier Publisher, 1884. 183-85. Google.com. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=Y5tNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA185&lpg=PA185&dq=Danby+scene+painter+for+The+Surrey&source=bl&ots=ZDMPzER0cl&sig=JP_OnfM8htUIiteaK6EkkBLwXHo&hl=en&ei=Ff53TdriJYvksQOOtezHBA&sa=X&oi=

Booth, Michael R., Michael Cordner, Peter Holland, and Martin Wiggens, eds. The Lights O' London and Other Victorian Plays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. N. pag. Print.

M, H D. The two "Circuses and the two "Surrey Theatres". London: Theatrical Publisher, 89, Strand, 1866. google.com. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=j1ZDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=The+Surrey+Theatre+of+Blackfriars+road+dimensions&source=bl&ots=1oP5ZXXhgE&sig=xpIdTWt4VE0etsP0l4BLj-OGJ8s&hl=en&ei=MwN5TZ3UFoG-sQO73c>.

Surrey Theatre Blackfriars Road C1860 London News. 1860. Old-print.com. Google.com. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. <http://www.old-print.com/cgi-bin/item/8260000337/search/3%2DSurrey%2DTheatre%2DBlackfriars%2DRoad%2DC1860%2DLondon%2DNews#>.