This book examines all major aspects of theater practice and dramatic literature of the Victorian period. Michael Booth's comprehensive survey explores the social and cultural context of the theater including theater management, the audience, architecture and production methods, acting and the job of the actor, as well as the drama itself. Within this framework, Booth discusses such topics as the effect on theater of population growth and the spread of the railway system, the typical organization of a Victorian theater company, the contribution to theater of several important actor-managers, the use of stage machinery and lighting instruments, and the stock company and rehearsal system. The volume also includes a chapter on sources, numerous previously unpublished illustrations, and a chronology. The result is a lively and informative account of the diversity, energy, and color of the Victorian stage, the whole period comprising one of the most fascinating and vigorous eras in the history of the English theater.