Plays and Performance in the Country House: the Victorian Theatre at Chatsworth

This project will focus on the elite spaces of the North Wing, and in particular the theatre/ballroom, which is a rare example of an exceptionally well-preserved private theatre and has been little studied to date. The project will use a biographical interpretation to explore the creation of this room in 1832 by Wyatville as the North Wing's Banqueting Hall and its subsequent conversion to a theatre in 1896 by the 8th Duke and the celebrated theatre designer, William Hemsley. Surviving stage sets and archival sources will be used to explore how this space created new kinds of social relationships within and between the family, household, and visitors, from the late 19th century to the present day. The project will work closely with the curatorial team to find new ways of telling the stories of this space.
Chatsworth is currently planning content development for the next decade and formulating plans for how spaces within and outside the House will be used in the long-term, in order to deliver a 21st-century Chatsworth visitor experience. This is likely to include a longer visitor route with increased dwell time, and a fuller story of the House and Estate. Several of the elite spaces within the North Wing are already included in the visitor route. However, the Theatre (or Ballroom/Banqueting Room as it was formerly known) is the key exception and is currently not represented in any way for visitors - either as a practical space for performance or as a way to explore the interest of the 6th Duke or subsequent family members in theatre. Indeed it is little used either by staff or external groups. This project would provide scope for developing some exciting new uses and interpretation for the Theatre, including reactivating the Theatre as a space for performance, recreating historical performances (including those by amateur groups), and hosting contemporary performance - bringing new voices, theory and practice to Chatsworth.