Story: Theatre companies and producers

Britannia Saloon, 1849

Britannia Saloon, 1849

Pioneering New Zealand theatrical producer James Marriott built the opulent Britannia Saloon in Wellington in the early 1840s. Many fundraising dinners were held there, and this engraving, showing a Grand Reform Banquet in 1849, appeared in the Illustrated London News. British-born Marriott was a Shakespearean scholar and actor, wrote plays on topical themes and even designed and built his own sets and lighting – he was a worthy forerunner of the endlessly resourceful New Zealand producer. 

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University of Waikato
Reference: Illustrated London News, vol.16 (1850), p. 20

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How to cite this page:

Mark Derby, 'Theatre companies and producers - Early theatre companies', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/43390/britannia-saloon-1849 (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Mark Derby, published 22 Oct 2014