Child Labor in the British Victorian Entertainment Industry - (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History) by Dyan Colclough (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Victorian preoccupation with childhood fed a desire to see children perform. Quick to respond, theatrical entrepreneurs recruited thousands of girls and boys to work in the industry. Although exploited, beguiled by wages and the possibility of fame, children coveted the opportunities the stage offered. This book tells their story"--

Book Synopsis

Child labor greatly contributed to the cultural and economic success of the British Victorian theatrical industry. This book highlights the complexities of the battle for child labor laws, the arguments for the needs of the theatre industry, and the weight of opposition that confronted any attempt to control employers.

Review Quotes

"Child Labor in the British Victorian Entertainment Industry, 1875-1914 provides new insights into the interplay of large social, political, and economic factors with the particularized experience of stage children. It should be read by anyone interested in the history of British childhood, the Victorian era, the economics of theater, and the child-performer industry." (Shauna Vey, The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, Vol. 10 (1), 2017)

About the Author

Dyan Colclough is Associate Lecturer in the Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.