Gaiety Theatre programmes

This subgroup contains a series of 100 programmes for performances staged at the Gaiety Theatre, dating from the very first season at Easter 1908 to the penultimate year of the Gaiety's existence as a theatre. Plays include not only those staged by AEFH's company, but also the productions of visiting companies when the Gaiety players were away and, after July 1917 when the permanent company was disbanded, by the various touring theatrical groups who used the Gaiety as a 'lodging house'. The programmes were clearly amassed by an enthusiastic and frequent theatre-goer, although not every production is represented and fewer programmes from the Gaiety's later years are included. There are a few instances of handwritten notes and newspaper reviews pasted into the programmes, and most of them have been dated on the cover, presumably on the day they were acquired by the collector.

The cover design of the programmes reflects AEFH's enduring interest in mysticism and astrology: each depicts the Gaiety ship (a symbol representing the soul's voyage of self-enlightenment towards perfection) along with the Gaiety's motto: 'Our true intent is all for your delight'. Also incorporated is the hexagram motif (a Sun symbol, representing Glory, Fame and Success), within which is placed the signs of Venus (the planet which in astrology governs Art - in particular Drama, Pleasure and Beauty), Mercury (governing Eloquence, Speech and Writings), and the Moon (representing the People - or audience - Change and Growth).

The programmes provide details of: theatre personnel, cast members and their roles, the producer, the orchestra and music performed, the company responsible for the production, forthcoming productions, ticket and booking prices, and various other details - relating to refreshments, theatre transport and so on. There is also a fair amount of space given over to advertisements.

The programmes form another useful source for the history of the Gaiety. It is possible to trace the careers of the actors and actresses who appeared, as well as changes in the permanent company and the general personnel of the theatre over the years. Changes in Gaiety policy, such as ticket and booking prices, are also reflected, and the deterioration in quality of the programmes during the war years perhaps reflects the theatre's financial difficulties. The advertisements also provide a certain insight into popular consumption and the commercial life of Manchester during these years.

The programmes have been kept in chronological order, and dated according to the day on which the first production of the play to which they refer was staged. The final programme (AEH/3/100) is out of its chronological sequence as it had become separated from the rest of the material until after this list was compiled.

The item descriptions below detail the plays listed in each programme (always performed by the Gaiety Company unless stated otherwise), as well as the number of performances given, along with any other notable features. Where 2 plays are listed, the first is the main production and the other usually the one-act 'curtain-raiser', although the order in which the plays were given varied occasionally.

Programmes consist of 1 sheet of paper unless stated otherwise.

The programmes were donated to the John Rylands Library by a Mr J. Peacock in August 1934, although there is no additional information in the Library's records about the person who amassed the collection and its former history. At some point the programmes were mistakenly believed to have been part of AEFH's donation to the Library; a number have been marked with the same accession number as the Gaiety press cuttings books and the whole collection was stored together. There is, however, no evidence that this was the case, and a note originally stored with the cuttings states that they were the gift of J. Peacock.