A drawing room play is a type of play, developed during the Victorian period, in which the actions take place in a drawing room or which is designed to be reenacted in the drawing room of a home. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained The common practice of entertaining a guest in the home lead to the creation of this category of plays and while the drawing room itself has fallen out of favor, the play format has continued to provide a source of entertainment.
While there is no date or authority directly ascribed to the term drawing room play, there is evidence that the term was derived from the English habit of putting on these short works for guests while entertaining in the drawing room of the home. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The American equivalent was the parlor. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In French usage the room and the social gathering it contained are equally the salon. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
Contents
• 1 Types of monologues • 2 Examples • 3 References • 4 Sources
Types of drawing room plays
Beginning with the early forms of drama, the drawing room play has evolved to encompass comedy as well as to include the forms of the dramatic monologue. Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. The play format itself has also grown out of the traditional drawing room performance and back into main street theater and film. Drawing room comedy is also sometimes called the "comedy of manners. " Many of the Drawing Room Plays adapted some form of social criticism in the transition from the Victorian period into the Modern era. [edit] Examples • The Elder Statesman published in 1959 by T. S. Eliot's was the last of his drawing room works. Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. Each marked with significant societal commentary. • Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the most widely known examples of the drawing room play. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde. It premiered on February 14, 1895 at the St • Several of the collected works of Noel Coward are also considered typical of the form. Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright • Paul Rudnick's Regrets Only is a contemporary drawing room comedy released in 2006. Paul M Rudnick (born 29 December 1957) is a Playwright, Screenwriter and Novelist. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. • Additional authors include Clement Scott, Walter Besant, Grace Luce Irwin and Arnold Bennett.
Sources
• Nicholas Cooper, Houses of the Gentry 1480-1680 (English Heritage) 1999: "Parlours and withdrawing rooms 289-93.