1st Edition
“Don’t Forget The Pierrots!'' The Complete History of British Pierrot Troupes & Concert Parties
List of figures
Thanks!
Support for writing and illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note about cover images
Preface: “The Pierrot fable”
Introduction
1 “Here we are again!”: Current practice
2 “Trope to troupe”: The origins of Pierrot in Britain
3 Minstrels: White and black
4 “The Seaside Minstrels”
5 Proliferation
6 “Bringing Blighty to the Boys with troupes for the troops”: Pierrot troupes and concert parties in the First World War
7 Ambiguities in the evolution of the form and its developments during the inter-war years
8 Khaki-clad pierrot heroes: British concert parties/pierrot troupes in the Second World War
9 “It’s that troupe again …”: Concert party adaptations for the airwaves and post-war British pop culture
10 “Impacts and reverberations”: The ways in which the seaside troupe format has directly affected contemporary culture
11 Conclusion: Pierrots and concert parties provide a portal to past, present and future popular culture
Appendices
Appendix 1: Timeline of pierrot/concert-party projects by Tony Lidington
Appendix 2: Programme for Moore & Burgess Minstrels, April 14th 1877
Appendix 3: early members of Clifford Essex’s troupe
Appendix 4: Table illustrating the date of the first connections to seaside resorts by steamer and railway
Appendix 5: Spreadsheet of troupes with the words “Royal” or “Imperial” in the title
Appendix 6: List of troupes formed prior to the First World War
Appendix 7: Song books & publishers for pierrot troupes and concert parties
Appendix 8: List of troupes operating in the First World War
Appendix 9: Pierrot troupe list for 1918–1939
Appendix 10: Numbers of ENSA performances (from information provided by Basil Dean)
Appendix 11: Annual budgetary expenditures for ENSA
Appendix 12: List of seaside shows opening 1946–1961
Appendix 13: The Roosters
Glossary of terms
References
Index
Biography
Tony Lidington is associate lecturer of Drama at the University of Exeter, UK. Tony has been a professional showman for 40 years – researching and implementing British popular entertainment forms in a wide variety of contexts throughout the country. He is founder and performer of the last-remaining professional seaside pierrot troupe the "Pierrotters" and has performed at countless resorts and events as his alter ego "Uncle Tacko!"
