SAHR talk by Dr Luke Reynolds on the army on stage
Monday 16th December 2024
Dr Luke Reynolds delivered an online talk, entitled 'Marching the Boards: Theatrical Representations of the Army in Nineteenth Century Britain' to the Society on Monday 16 December 2024.
A recording of the event is now available to view on the Society's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ZqOVsooJ0JU
Synopsis
Throughout the nineteenth century, whether Britain was at war or peace, the Army was a staple of popular culture. From the "Scarlet Fever" caused by rakish officers in Silver Fork novels to scenes of heroism and glory reproduced in panoramas and the illustrated press to the exaggerated caricatures of the absurdities of full dress uniforms, Britons were regularly presented with depictions of soldiers, all written or illustrated by civilians. It was only in theatrical productions, however, that civilians regularly acted as soldiers, taking that representation to a new level. The soldiers brought to life on stage varied. Here, as well as in print and illustration, one could find the rogue, the fop, and the hero. Some actors were faced with the daunting challenge of playing actual men, whether in name or in thinly veiled caricature. Others played fictional characters ranging from heroic Highlander corporals to diffident staff officers. All, however, brought their own biases, along with that of the playwright, into the characters, thus creating a remarkable variety of avatars of British martial masculinity. Using scripts, illustrations, and juvenile drama sets, this talk examines that variety, exploring how the British soldier was depicted on the stage, and, in the process, shining new light on how the average playgoer saw the Army.
Speaker biography
Luke Reynolds is an Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut's Stamford Campus and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His first book, Who Owned Waterloo? Battle, Memory, and Myth in British History, 1815-1852 was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. It subsequently won the Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award in the First Book Category and was a runner up for the Society for Army Historical Research's Best First Book Prize.