Drawing room play facts for kids

A drawing room play is a special kind of play. It was created during the Victorian period in the United Kingdom. These plays are either set in a "drawing room" – a fancy living room where people relaxed and entertained guests – or they were actually performed in someone's drawing room at home. People loved to entertain guests, and these plays became a fun way to do it. Even though drawing rooms aren't as common now, these plays are still enjoyed today.

The idea for drawing room plays came from the English tradition of putting on short performances for guests. In France, a similar room and social gathering was called a salon.

What is a Drawing Room Play?

A drawing room play is usually a short and witty story. It often features characters who are well-dressed and speak in a clever way. The setting is typically a comfortable, elegant room in a house, like a living room or a study. These plays were perfect for smaller audiences and could be put on without a big stage or lots of props.

How Drawing Room Plays Evolved

Drawing room plays have changed over time. At first, they were simple dramas. Later, they grew to include comedy, especially a type called "comedy of manners." A comedy of manners makes fun of the way people behave in society, especially the upper classes. Many drawing room plays from the Victorian period also started to gently criticize society as they moved into the Modern era.

Sometimes, these plays even became a single actor's performance, known as a dramatic monologue. While they started in homes, drawing room plays eventually moved to bigger theatres and even into film.

Famous Drawing Room Plays

Many well-known writers have created drawing room plays. Here are a few examples:

• The Elder Statesman (1959) was one of the last drawing room plays written by T. S. Eliot.
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a very famous example. It's a hilarious comedy of manners that still makes people laugh today.
• Many plays by Noël Coward are also great examples of this style.
• More recently, Regrets Only (2006) by Paul Rudnick is a modern drawing room comedy.
• Other writers who wrote drawing room plays include Clement Scott, Walter Besant, Grace Luce Irwin, and Arnold Bennett.

See also

• Chamber play