The Arts In Berwick -- Theatre
William C. Macready

The greatest of the tragic actors of the 19th.Century, William Charles Macready (1793-1873) rescued Shakespeare from the 'improved' versions current since the 17th.Century.

In 1808 Macready's father took over the management of Stephen Kemble's theatre, and William described it on his visit in 1814 as:- "in the inn yard and up a very long flight of steps. The upper part of an old malt-house had been converted into the temple of the drama, and, saving the awkwardness of the approach, had been fashioned into a very respectable one."

Macready senior, noted for his obstinacy, insisted on opening the Theatre while everybody was out celebrating Napoleon's abdication. Three people were in the audience at the start of the performance and none by the end.

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