Author Description

The Cult Of The Child Performer Was A Significant Emergence Of The Victorian Age. Fierce Public Debate And Lasting Legislation Grew Out Of The Conflict Between A Desire For Juvenile Display And A Determination To Stop Exploitation. This Study Explores The Social And Artistic Context Of Their Lives And Their Developing Professionalism As Actors. Cover; Contents; List Of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction: The Child On The Victorian Stage; The Appeal Of The Victorian Child Performer; The Scope Of This Study; 1 Training Juvenile Actors; 2 Looking-glass Children: The Performing Child As Erotic Subject; 3 Pastorals And Primitives: Child Actors In Arcadia; 4 Pantomime: An Audience Of Children; 5 Classifying The Juvenile Actor; 6 Theatre Children And The School Boards; 7 Vigilance And Virtue; 8 Theatre And Cruelty; 9 Conclusion: Dressing Up; Appendix A: Child Actors In Lewis Carroll's Diaries And Letters Appendix B: National Vigilance Association, Regulations For Employment Of Children In Theatres, 1889notes; Select Bibliography; Index By A. Varty. Description Based Upon Print Version Of Record. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 287-296) And Index. English