| Description | Draft playbill in Charles Dickens's hand sent to the printer, Hugh Hutton.
This playbill comprises preliminary text about the fund raising purpose of the performance, including an extract from a minute of the Shakespeare House Committee of 14 April 1848; a list of the cast and performers and the name of the costume designer for the performance on Tuesday evening. opening with Jonson's 'Everyman in his Humour' and concluding with Mrs Inchbald's farce 'Animal Magnetism'; a request for the printer to insert information about prices, regulations about tickets and timing of performance, and general information of the Town Committee and the names of the committee members. Charles Dickens is named as the Acting and Stage Manager at the foot of the playbill.
The cast included a number of Dickens's literary and artistic friends as well as his brothers. Some of the names appearing in this playbill include Dudley Costello (1803-1865), English journalist and novelist; Frederick William Dickens (1820-1868), Charles Dickens' younger brother, the inspiration for Fred, the dissolute brother of Little Nell in 'The Old Curiosity Shop' (published in 1841); Mark Lemon (1809-1870), founding editor of both 'Punch' and 'The Field'; Frank Stone (1800-1859), neighbour of Charles Dickens and book illustrator (including later editions of Dickens' 'Nicholas Nickleby' and 'Martin Chuzzlewit'); George Henry Lewes (1817-1878), author, theatre critic and editor of literary magazines and partner of George Eliot; John Forster (1812-1876), close friend and first biographer of Charles Dickens; Augustus Leopold Egg (1816-1863), artist; John Leech (1817-1864), caricaturist and book illustrator (his work including 'A Christmas Carol', published 1843); Augustus Newnham Dickens (1827-1866), youngest brother of Charles Dickens, and the inspiration for his pen name 'Boz'; George Cruikshank (1792 1878), caricaturist and book illustrator (his work including 'Oliver Twist', published 1838); Mary Cowden Clarke (1809-1898), author and Shakespeare scholar. |