Books
Harlequin in His Element: English Pantomime, l806-l836, Harvard University Press, l969.
Western Popular Theatre (with Kenneth Richards), Methuen & Co., l977.
Henry Irving and "The Bells", Henry Irving's Personal Text and Score, University of Manchester Press, l980.
Four Bars of "Agit", Music for Victorian and Edwardian Melodrama, The Theatre Museum and Samuel French, Ltd., l983.
Phaidon Theatre Manuals (Series deviser and editor) 5 vols. Directing A Play, Costume and Make-up, Lighting and Sound, Stage Design and Properties, Stage Management and Theatre Administration, Phaidon Press, 1988. Second ed. (revised), 1992. Third ed. (revised), 1995.
Playing Out the Empire: Ben Hur and Other Toga Plays and Films, 1883-1908, A Critical Anthology, (with anthology of playtexts and film scenarios,) Claredon Press of the Oxford University Press, 1994. Reissued 1999 and 2002.
Ben-Hur (novel), Editor (critical introduction and explanatory notes), Oxford World's Classics, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Stagestruck Filmmaker: D.W. Griffith and the American Theatre, University of Iowa Press, 2009.
Bandits! Or, The Collapsing Bridge: an early film and a late-Victorian Stage, (monograph with film on CD) with Bryony Dixon, London (Society for Theatre Research), 2015.
Articles, Chapters, Published Conference Papers, and Lesser Publications
"The Case for Harlequin: a footnote on Shaw's Dramatic Method," Modern Drama, III, i, pp. 60-74, l960.
"William Blake and the Juvenile Drama," Theatre Notebook, XVIII, 4, pp.143-144, l963.
"The Pantomime Olio and Other Pantomime Variants," Theatre Notebook, XIX, 1, pp. 22-28, l964.
"Dandyism in Regency Pantomime," Theatre Notebook, XIX, 3, pp.90-100, l965.
"Billy Purvis, Travelling Showman," Theatre Quarterly, I, 4, pp. 27-34, l97l.
"The Sexuality of Pantomime," Theatre Quarterly, IV, l3, pp. 55-64, l974..
"Henry Mayhew and the Pantomime of the Poor," Panto!, Spring, l974.
"Towards a Definition of Popular Drama," paper given at Symposium on Popular Theatre, Manchester, l974. Published in Western Popular Theatre (see above)
"19th Century Theatre Music," Paper given at 19th century Theatre conference, University of Massachusetts, USA, l974. Revised text in Theatre Notebook, XXX, 3, pp. 115-122, l976.
Annotated Bibliography of Pantomime and Guide to Study Sources, British Theatre Institute, l975.
"The Music of Melodrama," Paper given at Popular Theatre Conference, Kent University, l977. Published as chapter in Politics and Performance in Popular Drama, (David Bradby, ed.), pp.49-63, Cambridge University Press, l979.
"Some Recent Writings on Victorian Theatre," Victorian Studies, XX, 3, pp. 311-317, l977.
"Fools, Folly, and Rigoletto," Article for Scottish Opera, l979.
A Wet Bank Holiday at the Ally Pally," Paper given to the American Society for Theatre Research, l982. Published inNineteenth Century Theatre Research, l2, pp. 75-92, l984.
Study Guide to Pantomime, National Theatre, l983. 20 pp.
"Romans in Britain, l886-l9l0: Pain's The Last Days of Pompeii," Theatrephile, II, 1, pp. 41-50, l985.
Nineteenth Century Theatre Periodicals, (editor), Three-part microfiche series. Harvester Press, l986.
Study Guide to The Ticket-of-Leave Man, Manchester.University Drama Department, 40 pp., l986.
Introduction to George Rowell's William Terriss and Richard Prince: Two Characters in an Adelphi Melodrama, Society for Theatre Research, pp. iii-vi, l987.
"The Ticket-of-Leave Man in Context," Essays in Theatre, pp. 31-40, November, l987.
Lady Audley's Secret" Early Stages" programme, Royal Shakespeare Company, London, February, l988.
"The Victorian Stage on Film," Nineteenth Century Theatre, vol. 16, pp. 111-122. No. 2, Winter, l989.
"Recent Studies in Victorian Society and Culture", (review article) Nineteenth Century Theatre, vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 139-144, Winter, 1991.
"The World on Fire: Pyrodramatic Entertainments at Belle Vue Gardens," chapter in Popular Imperialism and the Military, John MacKenzie (ed.), pp. 179-197, Manchester University Press, 1992.
The George R. Sims Collection of Playscripts (editor), Theatre History Series, microfilm/microfiche edition, Emmett Publishing Co., 1992.
"Toga Plays," chapter in British Theatre in the 1890's, Richard Foulkes, (ed.) pp. 71-92, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
"Changing Horses in Mid-Ocean: The Whip in Britain and America", chapter in Edwardian Theatre: Essays on Performance and the Stage, Michael Booth and Joel Kaplan (eds.) pp. 220-235, Cambridge University Press, 1996.
"Parlour and Platform Melodrama" chapter in Refigured Worlds: Melodrama as Cultural Mediator, Michael Hays and Anastasia Nicolopoulou (eds.) pp. 211-234, St Martin's Press, 1996.
"Seeing with the Ear", review essay, Nineteenth Century Theatre, Vol. 25, No. 1, Summer, 1997, pp. 66-77. ISSN 0893-3766
"Learning to See in the Dark",Nineteenth Century Theatre, Vol. 25, No. 2, Winter, 1997, pp. 92-114. ISSN 0893-3766
Programme note: Frank Capra's The Matinee Idol (1928), Aspen Filmfest, 1997.
Review: Jane Stedman,W.S. Gilbert, a classic Victorian, Oxford University Press, 1996 in Theatre Notebook, vol. LI, no. 2, 1997.
Ben-Hur (novel), Editor (critical introduction and explanatory notes), Oxford World's Classics, Oxford University Press, 1998.
""The Death of a Stage Actor: the Genesis of a Film", Film History ,Vol. 11, no. 3, 1999, pp. 342--352.
47 essays on DW Griffith films for The Griffith Project, Pordenone, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, published in The Griffith Project catalogues raissonees. Paolo Cherchi-Usai (ed.), British Film Institute, vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. 1997, ’98, ’99, ’2000, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05,’06, ’07, ‘08.
Review: Ben Brewster and Lea Jacobs, Theatre to Cinema: Stage Pictorialism and the Early Feature Film, (Oxford University Press, 1997),Theatre Notebook , vol. LIII, no. 2, pp. 119-121.
Which legacy of the theatre? Acting in silent film: some questions and some problems" chapter Screen Acting, Peter Kramer and Alan Lovell (eds), Routledge, 1999. pp. 10-30.
"Opening a second front: the Civil War, the Stage, and D.W. Griffith", chapter in La decima musa. Il cinema e le altre arti / The Tenth Muse: Cinema and Other Arts, Laura Vichi & Leonardo Quaresima (eds.), Domitor & University of Udine, 2001, pp. 491-506.
"18 Minutes" chapter in The Showman, the Spectacle, and the Two-Minute Silence: Performing British Cinema before 1930, Alan Burton & Laraine Porter (eds), British Film Institute & Flicks Books, 2001, pp 21-27.
"D.W. Griffith's Old Kentucky Home and other Mythic Dwellings" (with Helen Day-Mayer), Living Pictures, The Journal of the Popular and Projected Image before 1914, vol. 1, no. 2, 2001, pp. 21-35.
"'A secondary action' or a musical highlight? Melodic interludes in early film melodrama reconsidered", (with Helen Day-Mayer) chapter in The Sounds of Early Cinema, Richard Abel & Rick Altman (eds.) Domitor and University of Indiana Press, 2001, pp. 220-231.
“Doubles: Lesurques and Dubosc, Jekyll and Hyde, Svengali and Trilby”, chapter in Alan Burton & Laraine Porter (eds), Crossing the Pond: Anglo-American Film relations before 1930, British Film Institute & Flicks Books, 2002, pp. 26-33.
“’Quote the Words to Prompt the Attitudes’: The Victorian Performer, the Photographer, and the Photograph”, Theatre Survey, (journal of the American Society for Theatre Research) vol. 43, no. 2, 2002, pp. 91-119.
“Devaluing the Revolution: The Only Way”, Alan Burton & Laraine Porter (eds), Scene-Stealing: Sources for British Cinema Before 1930, British Film Institute & Flicks Books, 2003, pp 49-57.
“Film and Theatre” essay in Dennis Kennedy (ed.) Oxford Encyclopedia of the Theatre and Performance, vol. 1, 2003, pp. 459-465.
“Pantomime, British” essay in Dennis Kennedy (ed.) Oxford Encyclopedia of the Theatre and Performance, vol. 2, 2003, pp. 995-997.
“Documents of Performance: George Cruikshank, ‘The First Appearance of William Shakespeare on the Stage of the Globe with Part of his Dramatic Company in 1564’”, Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film, vol. 30, no. 1, Summer, 2003, pp. 53-64.
“Encountering Melodrama”, Cambridge Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Theatre, Kerry Powell (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 145-163.
"The Bells: a case study/ A ‘bare-ribbed skeleton in a chest", Cambridge Companion to British Theatre, vol. 2, 1660-1895, Joseph Donohue (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 388-404.
“Documents of Performance: Refreshment Tokens or ‘Wet Money’”, Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film**, vol. 31, no. 2, Winter, 2004, pp. 73-79.
"Theater, melodrama", Encyclopedia of Early Cinema, Richard Abel (ed.) London & New York (Routledge), 2005, pp. 628-632.
“Why Girls Leave Home: Victorian and Edwardian melodrama parodied on early film”, Theatre Journal 58, December, 2006, pp. 575-593.
“The Actress as Photographic Icon”, Maggie Gale & John Stokes (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to the Actress, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press), 2007, pp. 74-94.
“Fights of Nations and national fights”, Richard Abel, Giorgio Bertellini, Rob King (eds.), Early Cinema and the” National”, Bloomington IND (Indiana University Press), 2008, pp. 132-138.
“Supernumeraries: decorating the late-Victorian stage with lots (& lots & lots) of live bodies”, Kate Newey (ed.) Ruskinian Theatre: The Victorian Theatre and Visual Arts, London (Palgrave Macmillan), 2009. pp. 154-168.
“Rescued from an eBay Site (a theatrical source for an early Edison film)”, Film History, vol. 21, no. 4, 2009, pp. 336-345.
“Victorian Pantomime on Twentieth-Century Film”, Jim Davis (ed.) Victorian Pantomime, London (Palgrave Macmillan), 2010, pp. 201-215.
Riding for a Fall: a Saddle for Mazeppa’s Fiery Steed”, Stephen Johnson (ed.) A Tyranny of Documents: The Performing Arts Historian as Film Noir Detective, New York (Theatre Library Association), 2011, pp. 143-150.
The Only Way, Programme note, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto/Pordenone Silent Film Festival, October, 2012.
“Exit With Dead Horse”, (with Cassie Mayer) Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film, vol. 39, no. 1, Summer 2012, pp. 78 – 92.
“Architecture and Art Dance Meet in the Ancient World”, Pantelis Mikelakis & Maria Wyke (eds.) The Ancient World in Silent Cinema, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press), 2013, pp. 91-108.
“When Greeks stand you up, invite Romans: the ancient world on the 19th Century American Stage”, Oxford Handbook for Greek Dramas in the Americas, Fiona Macintosh (ed.), 2015, pp. 133-145
Challenging a default Ben-Hur: a wish-list”, Milette Shamir & Barbara Therese Ryan (eds.) Bigger than Ben-Hur: the book, its adaptations, & their audiences, Syracuse NY (Syracuse University Press), 2015, pp. 179-190.
Blue Jeans, The Girl Without a Soul, The Cossack Whip, co-written with Helen Day-Mayer, Programme notes for John Collins films, Le Giornate del Cinema Muto/Pordenone Silent Film Festival, October, 2016
“Documents of Performance: Francis Bannerman Archive”, Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film, vol. 42 (2), pp. 164-173, 2015
“D.W. Griffith and the Stage”, Charles Keil (ed.), Chapter, Blackwell, Companion to D.W. Griffith, 2018
“Performing Melodrama” (with Helen Day-Mayer), Christine Gledhill & Linda Williams (eds.), Melodrama Unbound, New York (Columbia University Press), 2018
“Melodrama and Early Film” Carolyn Williams (ed.) Cambridge Companion to Melodrama, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press), 2018
Public Lectures & conference papers
"Realism in late l9th Century Melodrama," Instituto Internazionale per la Ricerca Teatrale, Venice, l975.
"19th Century Pantomime Music," 19th Century Theatre conference, Warwick University, l977.
"The Theatre of Eugene O'Neill," lecture series at the University of Salzburg and the Palais Paffry (Vienna) for the U.S. Information Agency, l978.
"Entertainment in Victorian Manchester," Cheshire Historical Association, l978.
"Joseph Grimaldi, a Musical Clown," Society for Theatre Research, l979.
“Conservation in Performance Arts Collections: at the Source and on the Cheap," Theatre Library Association, Washington D.C., l982.
"The Music of Monte Cristo: a response," l9th Century Musical Theatre in English conference, New York, l985. Pierpont Morgan Library.
"'Dead, dead, and never called me Mother:' Punishment and Expiation on the Victorian Stage," Centre for l9th Century Studies, Manchester, l986.
Closing address, American Society for Theatre Research- International Federation for Theatre Research-Theatre Library Ass'n. Conference, New York, 1987.
"The Victorian Extravaganza/Féerie/Diablerie on Film," "Gilbert and Sullivan and their Circles" conference, University of Leicester, 1988.
"Pooter at the Theatre," Public lecture to coincide with exhibition: "Mr. Pooter's London." Geffrye Museum, London, 1989.
"Melodrama and Subversion," "Fictions of the French Revolution" conference, Northwestern University, U.S.A., 1989.
Toga Plays into Toga Films" "Melodrama: Stage, Picture, Screen" conference. British Film Institute, London, 1992.
"How the Theatre Historian Sees What the Butler Saw", Theatre Information Group conference on "The Uses of Video/film in the Performing Arts", Theatre Museum, London, 1992.
Yale Center for British Art, Yale University: Lecture: "George Cruickshank's The first appearance of William Shakespeare on the stage of the Globe in 1564, with some of his company", November, 1994.
Elizabethan Club, Yale University, Lecture: " Was anyone actually watching the play, and how do we know?: The new theatre historiography and evidence of audiences", November, 1994.
"Strongheart: Stage and Screen", Celebrating 1895 conference paper, National Museum of Photography, Film, & Television, June, 1995.
Co-organiser/speaker Henry Irving Centenary Event, Theatre Museum, London. Lectures on Irving's Faust, Irving's recitations. July, 1995.
"More than meets the eye? Querying Victorian Theatrical Photographs" Plenary paper, American Society for Theatre Research, St Louis, Nov., 1995.
"Picturing Shakespearean Performance", Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, March, 1966.
"Performing glory; performing decadence: Alma-Tadema goes to the movies" Lecture (in conjunction with Alma-Tadema exhibition), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, May, 1997.
"'Photographed from life': the stage before the camera", Plenary paper, Picturing Performance conference, University of Kent, July, 1997.
"'A secondary action' or a musical highlight? Melodic interludes in early film melodrama reconsidered", Domitor (early film), Library of Congress, Washington, DC, June, 1998.
Keynote paper: "Research goals in 19th century theatre-music", Conference on music-theatre and theatre music, University of Colorado, July, 1998.
"The death of a stage actor; the genesis of a D.W. Griffith film" Conference: "Visual Delights" (popular showmanship and early film), University of Sheffield, July, 1999.
"Opening a second front: the Civil War, the stage, and D.W. Griffith" Invited paper, Domitor (early film) conference, Udine, March, 2000.
"18 Minutes" Invited paper, British Film Institute: Performing British Cinema Conference, Nottingham, April, 2000.
“Something Other than the Antiques Roadshow”, conference paper (with Dr. Sophie Nield), American Society for Theatre Research, Philadelphia, November, 2002.
“Sir Henry at the Margins”, Annual lecture for Irving Society. London, February, 2003.
“Visions through a cracked window: the Victorian and Edwardian Stage parodied on early film” Theatre iconography conference, University of Toronto, November, 2004.
“National fights and Fights of Nations”, Domitor (early film) conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich, 2006.
“When Greeks can’t come, invite Romans”, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 2009.
“Viewing the Victorian Stage on 20th Century Film”, (with Helen Day-Mayer) Society for Theatre Research, London, January, 2011; TaPRA conference, London, June, 2011, Collegium. Giornate del Cinema Muto, Pordenone, October, 2011, Cambridge University, May, 2012.
“Just Horsing Around: Riding Like Mazeppa”, ATHE conference, Chicago, August, 2011.
“Exit With Dead Horse”, (with Cassie Mayer) Popular Theatre Conference, Warwick University, January, 2012.
“Hot-wiring West End Theatres”, West End Conference, Royal Haymarket Theatre, London, March, 2012.
“Trouble at t’millpond: An early film and a late-Victorian theatre”, Invited lecture, Shared Visions II Conference, Warwick University, October, 2012. Again: Centre for 19th Century Studies: University of Southampton, May, 2013., ASTR, Dallas, November, 2013.
“The Battle of Petersburg: Griffith’s ‘big scenes’”, conference paper, Birth of a Nation centenary conference, King’s College London, March, 2015.
“Pete and Barney and the comedy of disobedience”, conference paper with Cassie and Lise Mayer, The London Stage and the Nineteenth-Century World, New College, Oxford, April, 2016.
“Behind the Scenes at Astley’s”, conference paper with Cassie Mayer, Regency Theatre conference, Downing College, Cambridge, July, 2016.