Theatricals, Concerts and Entertainments

Theatre and Concert Programmes, 1843-1994; Theatre Scripts, n.d.; and Material Relating to Theatrical Performances, 1950-1954.

1843-1994

1 box

Theatrical performances became a regular feature at Crichton Royal Institution from 1843 onwards. The first production, Raising the Wind, a farce by James Kenney, opened on 6 January 1843 and was produced and performed by patients. In November 1842 a group of patients and staff met to form a Theatre Committee and with the success of their first production further performances followed. Other early productions included The Irish Tutor, Monsieur Tonson, Redgauntlet and Crammond Brig. The Crichton Royal Musical and Dramatic Club emerged from this group and regularly staged a wide range of productions including dramas, farces and pantomimes. Other entertainment provided for patients and staff included regular dances, often to mark events such as Easter or Halloween, music recitals, concerts and lectures.

Personal Papers - Adam Richardson, DGH1/6/16/8; C. R. I. Scrapbook, DGH1/6/17/1; Recreation and Printing Scrapbook, DGH1/6/18/2; Art in Madness - early patient artwork, DGH1/7/3/1.

Enquiries for reproduction for commercial purposes should be directed to the Archivist, Dumfries and Galloway Archives and Local Studies

The papers are available at Dumfries and Galloway Archives subject to conditions of UK Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2012. Subject to these restrictions, this material is being digitised by the University of Glasgow as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project. Material that is digitised will be accessed freely online through the Wellcome Library catalogue.