Founded by Heneage Mandell in 1884, the London Playgoers Club met regularly "to afford members facilities for Critical Theatrical Discussions... in the form of... debate[s]." Playgoers in Victorian England did not generally enjoy a favorable reputation, stereotyped as abrasive at best and dangerous at worst. Mandell and his colleagues sought to promote a more genteel image of playgoers while nurturing a relationship between the players and audience.
The core of the Playgoers Club collection consists of a series of meeting minutes from 1884 to 1892, a list of all members who ran in club elections, and a brief, handwritten history of the club.
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Founded by Heneage Mandell in 1884, the London Playgoers Club met regularly "to afford members facilities for Critical Theatrical Discussions... in the form of... debate[s]." Playgoers in Victorian England did not generally enjoy a favorable reputation, stereotyped as abrasive at best and dangerous at worst. Mandell and his colleagues sought to promote a more genteel image of playgoers while nurturing a relationship between the players and audience.
The core of the Playgoers Club collection consists of a series of meeting minutes from 1884 to 1892, a list of all members who ran in club elections, and a brief, handwritten history of the club.
The list includes dates, names, addresses, proposers, and seconders for entrance into the club membership. The candidates included A.W. Pinero, J.M. Barrie, Coulson, Kernahan, Israel Zangwill, and Justin McCarthy, among others.
The collection is open for research.
Acquired from Holmes Booksellers, 1986.
See Benjamin William Findon, The Playgoers' Club, 1884 to 1905 : its history and memories. London: Playgoers Club, 1905
Processed by Linda Seidman, 1990.
Cite as: Playgoers Club Records (MS 351). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
