Theatronomics offers an account of the eighteenth-century London stage
It is a portrait of London through the cheques, balances, and receipts of the theatre – the beating heart of eighteenth-century society.
We tell the story of the commercial side of the entertainment industry to understand why some people made it…. and others did not.
From nightly takings to performer salaries and payments to staff and suppliers, from kettle-drummers to coal merchants to rat-catchers, we bring to light a wide range of financial information.
Our database and visualisation tools allow empirical comparisons between theatres, playwrights, and plays, and show the intricate relationship between finance and drama.
35,000,000 theatre seats
34,000 performances
105 theatre seasons
8 managerial regimes
2 theatres
One City
Through these account books, ledgers, and salary records, we follow the money to reveal a new perspective on a remarkable theatrical repertory.
