LETTER PRESS THEATRE PLAY BILL Playbills were cheaply produced posters that were handed out or posted on walls to announce the latest shows and performers. They outlined the evening's programme, which usually started with a two- or three-hour main piece followed by a shorter, often comic, after-piece. The audience could stay for the whole show, or they could sometimes pay half-price to arrive after the main piece. At times the bills warned viewers of last-minute cast changes, with detailed explanations of actors' illnesses or mishaps.

Performing, The cataract. Love in a Village.

Published by Printers used the letterpress technique which involves clamping reverse-cut letters into a frame. Then dipped in ink and printed onto paper., 1823

About this Item

20 x 34 cm. Condition good. An evening at the theatre was the main form of entertainment in London in the Nineteenth Century and competition between rival theatres was fierce, audiences wanted constant novelty. The best way of getting the crowds in was to have a regularly (often nightly) changing bill. Printing playbills and posters to advertise the latest performances kept the printers of London very busy during this period. Seller Inventory # 27786

Bibliographic Details

Title: LETTER PRESS THEATRE PLAY BILL Playbills ...

Publisher: Printers used the letterpress technique which involves clamping reverse-cut letters into a frame. Then dipped in ink and printed onto paper.

Publication Date: 1823

Binding: No Binding

Condition: Very Good