E X T E N S I O N DRAMA IN THE VICTORIAN AGE The beginning of the Victorian era witnessed a decline in drama for several reasons. First of all, because audiences simply demanded entertaining rather than stimulating or reflective works and, secondly, because actors started to become expensive as the profession of actor and the two concepts of the star-system and the showbusiness began in this period. This, combined with the search for spectacular staging, limited the number of performances and even the choice of texts to Interior of St James Theatre (built 1835), perform, since stage managers London. Watercolour by John Gregory Crace. avoided investing in new and risky scripts. However, many new theatres opened to satisfy the growing demand for entertainment on the part of the new and continually growing audiences. These were the most popular kind of plays that were available at the time: Melodrama was characterised by simple morality, good and evil stereotyped characters and an exaggerated acting style. Because of their musical interludes1, melodramas were not considered real plays, but they attracted many members of the lower classes. Pantomimes were productions which, inspired by the Italian Commedia dell Arte, combined songs, dancing, and humour with a story vaguely based on a well-known fairy tale, folk tale or on the character of Harlequin2. Sensational drama aimed at providing spectacular shows where the setting and the special effects were often more important than the play and became the main attraction. 1. interlude: a short representation between parts of a larger stage production. 2. Harlequin: 67