Independant study

I have decided to do some independent research into Restoration theatre, I decided to research the audience as i have little knowledge of audience's during Restoration drama/comedy.  

William Hogarth: The Laughing Audience, 1733

• Restoration drama was essentially written by Charles's courtiers for his courtiers and it was vibrant, colourful, brutal, and bawdy. Restoration audiences were notoriously ill behaved, often more interested in the drama of their own lives than that on stage.
• During this time the theatre was a "playhouse for the upper crust of restoration society".
• there are accounts of audience members climbing onto the stage (even though this was unsuccessfully forbidden in Charles 11's reign). Not only this but quarrels often took to the stage, which did on occasions cause injury.
• Orange Wenches- groups of women who would force their way through the walkways to sell fruit, they were tolerated but not liked as their prices were often extravagant.

Different audience sectors:

1. The Pit- a seat here cost half a crown (12p), although you were expected to keep to your seat all the way through the performance. This was by far the noisiest and rowdiest area of the auditorium.
2. The Boxes- This was the most expensive area costing 4 shillings (20p).Boxes were used to host the higher class, mainly women and their protective husbands.
3. The Galleries-This area was for the lower class of society and is often not accounted for in contemporary accounts.

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~rtheatre/Theatres/Area_Aud.html- this is the link used to gain this information, therefore if you'd like to know more click here.