A study of pamphlet plays during the Civil War and its influence on theatrical entertainments at fairs in England of the late 17th century

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In the course of the four-year research project, the investigator (Minami) has carried out comprehensive research on popular theatrical entertainments in early modern England. The research, which is based on primary sources published in early modern England, focused on two topics : (1)theatrical entertainments such as puppet shows, freak shows and drolls shown at fairs or non-legitimate playhouses/stalls, which had not been recognized as an established field of English studies until recentl y; (2)interactions between the illegitimate theatres or stalls at fairs and licensed theatres in London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The four-year study of these two closely related topics led to indicate how the established legitimate theatre activities in London were dependent upon the popular/informal/illegitimate/temporal theatrical shows, and vice versa. One of the notable findings made in the course of this research is the closely-knit cooperative interaction of performers between theatrical establishments and non-legitimate playhouses and stalls. Some part of the research results include the publications of chapters `The Politics of Puppet Plays : Popular Theatrical Entertainments in Early Modern England' in Does the Theatrical City Open Pandora's Box? (Tokyo : Arina,2002) and ‘The Triumvirate of the Drury Lane : Politics of Theatres in early 18th Century London' in Table Talk and English Literature (Tokyo : Sairyusha,2006) along with oral presentations at conferences.The investigator (Minami) is hoping to continue the present research, which, not being completed yet, is to be developed into a comprehensive history of popular theatrical entertainments in early modern England.