Victorian melodrama
“A style of play which relies heavily on sensationalism and sentimentality. Tend to feature action more than motivation, stock characters, and a strict view of morality in which good triumphs over evil.” Became a theatre form in the 1800s Licensing act 1737 Duopoly of theatres for spoken drama performances Theatres were starting to be built all over london and the reputation was growing Rene Charles Guilbert De Pixerecourt: Known for use of music and spectacular effects in productions First english melodrama was by thomas holcroft, A tale of Mystery 1802 Main conventions: Stock characters (damsel in distress, villain, hero, comedic characters, henchman, etc.) Music Codified gestures (the gestures were a language, the audience grew to understand the gestures) Tableaux (freeze frame, multiple people, to show their gesture) Linear plots (addresses morality, nothing abstract about it, chronological order) Spectacular effects Queen Victoria's