Christopher Rich (theatre manager) facts for kids

Christopher Rich (1657–1714) was a lawyer and important theatre manager in London during the late 1600s and early 1700s. He played a big role in how plays were put on during his time.

Rich Takes Charge

Christopher Rich started his career as a lawyer. In 1688, he bought a share in the management of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. This theatre was one of the most famous in London. He also took over the management of another theatre called Dorset Garden.

Because of his legal background, Rich was very good at handling problems. He often faced lawsuits and disagreements with actors and other theatre owners. He became the main person in charge of the United Company from 1693. This company had a special right to put on plays, almost like a monopoly.

Challenges and Rivalries

Rich had a very strict way of managing. This caused many senior actors, like Thomas Betterton, Elizabeth Barry, and Anne Bracegirdle, to become unhappy and rebel against him.

In 1695, the problems grew bigger. Thomas Betterton, one of the leading actors, got permission to open a new theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. He successfully opened it with a popular play called Love for Love. Rich didn't want to make any deals with this new rival theatre. Instead, he focused on making changes to his own Drury Lane theatre. He thought Betterton's new theatre would fail.

Later, in 1705, Betterton's company moved to a new theatre in the Haymarket. This theatre was first planned for opera. For a short time, Rich's agent, Owen Swiney, managed the Haymarket Theatre. This meant that all three main London theatres—Drury Lane, Dorset Garden, and Haymarket—were connected to Rich.

Actors Rebel Again

Rich was known for being difficult to work with. One of the theatre owners, Sir Thomas Skipwith, sold his share to Henry Brett. Brett seemed to influence the Lord Chamberlain, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent. The Lord Chamberlain was a high-ranking government official who oversaw theatres.

In 1707, the Lord Chamberlain ordered that the Haymarket Theatre should only show operas. He also told Rich's actors to return to Drury Lane. Around this time, Owen Swiney also became completely separated from Rich. The actors from both the Haymarket and Drury Lane theatres performed together in Hamlet in 1708. But this reunion didn't last long. Many actors, including Robert Wilks, Richard Estcourt, and Colley Cibber, decided to leave Rich's company.

The Theatre Shuts Down

Rich then started to change the rules for "benefit performances." These were special shows where actors would get all or most of the money. The actors' agreements were only spoken, not written down. Rich demanded that actors give him one-third of their earnings from these shows.

The actors asked the Lord Chamberlain for help. The Lord Chamberlain told Rich to pay the actors what they were owed. Rich refused, and because of this, the theatre was ordered to close down on June 6, 1709. No performances were allowed.

Rich tried to defend himself, saying the actors had already received a lot of money. He and other theatre owners complained to the Queen, but they didn't get any help. Some actors also sent a petition. However, key actors like Wilks, Thomas Dogget, Cibber, and Mrs. Oldfield did not join. They had already decided to join Swiney at the Haymarket Theatre, where they opened with Othello in September 1709.

Losing Control

Even though Rich still had some actors, like Barton Booth, the order to close the theatre remained. William Collier, another owner of the theatre rights, got a license and eventually took over the lease of Drury Lane.

Since no plays were being performed, Rich wasn't paying rent. But he still tried to keep control of the theatre. He even removed almost everything valuable from inside, except for the scenery. The writer Richard Steele wrote a funny description in The Tatler magazine in 1709. He joked about Rich selling off strange items from the theatre, like a "rainbow, a little faded" or "Othello's handkerchief."

Collier finally gained control of the Drury Lane theatre in November 1709. The Tatler described Rich as someone who was so skilled at arguing that "men feared even to be in the right against him." Collier had the support of other owners and actors who had once worked for Rich. In the end, Christopher Rich completely lost his hold on Drury Lane.

A New Beginning

Before losing Drury Lane, Rich had already gotten the rights to an old, unused theatre site in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields. He decided to build a brand new theatre there. The architect for this new building was James Shepherd.

Christopher Rich died on November 4, 1714, before the new theatre was finished. His sons, John Rich and Christopher Mosyer Rich, opened the theatre after his death.