19th Century Theater

The topic of my paper is 19th century theater. I chose this topic because theater is one of my biggest interests, and I want to learn more about it. As of now my topic is pretty broad. I want to include dramatic theater, comedic theater, music theater, opera, and many other aspects of theatrical performance. I may end up narrowing it down and focusing on one or two of these aspects that stick out to me. I think it will be interesting to see how theatrical performance has evolved and become what it is today. The main concepts of 19th century theater are obviously somewhat similar to those of present day, but I’m betting on there being some significant differences as well. In my paper I also want to include the lives of actors and actresses of the 19th century. How were they viewed in society in comparison to actors and actresses of today? Were there specific roles for men and women? Sets, costumes, lights, and sounds used in theater of this time would also be fun to learn about. I think learning about 19th century theater will help me understand and appreciate theatrical performance even more than I already do. I know a good amount about modern day theater, but little to nothing about it as it was in the 19th century. It will be a lot easier for me to write about something that I know I am seriously interested in, and it will make researching it fun as well.