Pym's Private Theatre
Pym's Private Theatre was in Wilson Street, Gray's Inn Lane. It opened in 1817 and was still active in 1851. The usual night for amateur performances was Thursday, though occasionally theatricals were hosted on alternative evenings.
The names on the theatre's playbills were not the real names of the actors. Pseudonyms were used to disguise their real identities. Research has revealed a number of the real people behind the pseudonyms:
| Pseudonym | Real Name | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Roberts | Unknown | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | This is the author of the Dramatic Institution Scrapbook. We know this as they tell us in the scrapbook that they joined Pym's in February 1830 and give a list of the plays and parts that they appeared in. |
| Miss Harman | Unknown | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | We are told that she and her sister also played at the Hackney Road Theatre, which was supported by a lawyer in Red Lion Square. Her name is given in the scrapbook but is difficult to transcribe. |
| Mr Marsden | Brown | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | In the 1829-30 season we are told that his first role is Inkle on 29 December. The author of the scrapbook tells us that 'his real name is Brown, son of the Coloursman in Holborn' |
| Mr Mountain | J. Hill | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | This is written in brackets next to his name on the handwritten playbill for Inkle and Yarico on 29 December 1829. |
| Mr Crooke | Unknown | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | We are told he is a music 'st...'. Transcription needed. |
| Mr Hall | Possibly another Mr Hill | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Miss St Aubyn | Unknown | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | We are told that she was the daughter of XXXX - transcription needed. |
The repertoire included:
| Plays | Date | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Lear and Bombastes Furioso | unknown, 1829 | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Lord of the Manor and Green-Eyed Monster | 3 December 1829 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Curfew and The Lancers | 17 December 1829 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Inkle and Yarico and How to Die for Love | 29 December 1829 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Luke the Labourer and Charles the Second, also a scene from Julius Caesar and a comic song | 5 January 1830 (Tuesday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| John Bull, Intrigue and Rendezvous. | 6 January 1830 (Wednesday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Rivals and A House to be Sold | 14 January 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Bee Hive and The Spectre Bridegroom | 21 January 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Iron Chest and The Miser | 28 January 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | Miss Holl is the sister of another player (transcription difficult) and this is the only time that she played. |
| The Honey Moon | 2 February 1830 (Tuesday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Day After the Wedding, Bon Ton and The Lancers | 4 February 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Heir at Law and Fortune's Frolic | 18 February 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Wonder and The Review | 25 February 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Riches and The Rendezvous | 4 March 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Othello, Intrigue and Charles the Second | 5 March 1830 (Friday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Innkeeper of Abbeville and Sixty Third Letter | 11 March 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Bee Hive and Monsieur Jonson | 18 March 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Belle's Stratagem and Raising the Wind | 25 March 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Poor Gentleman and The Irish Tutor | 1 April 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Evadne and Amateurs and Actors | 8 April 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Education and Animal Magnetism | 22 April 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Promissory Note, XYZ and The Irish Tutor | 29 April 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | Initially scheduled Fatality but noted that it was replaced by The Irish Tutor as Roberts refused to play the character of Lackbrain. |
| Fatality, Ways and Means and He Lies Like Truth | 6 May 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Fair Penitent and Long Stories; Or, We Fly By Night | 13 May 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| She Stoops to Conquer and Love, Law and Physic | 20 May 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Clari; or, The Maid of Milan and Turn Out | 27 May 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Midnight Hour and The Poor Soldier | 10 June 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Bertram; Or, The Castle of St. Aldobrand and Long Stories; Or, We Fly By Night | 17 June 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Charles the Twelfth; Or, The Siege of Stralsund and All at Coventry | 24 June 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Evadne and The Village Lawyer | 1 July 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Slave and Amoroso, King of Little Britain | 8 July 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | Playbill printed June incorrectly. |
| The Jealous Wife and William Thompson; Or, Which is He? | 16 July 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | Playbill printed June incorrectly. |
| Luke the Labourer and Who's Who; Or, The Double Imposter | 22 July 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| The Heir at Law and The Duel; Or, My Two Nephews | 23 July 1830 (Friday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| A New Way to Pay Old Debts and Mrs. Wiggins | 29 July 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Riches; Or, The Wife and Brother and The Spectre Bridegroom | 5 August 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| Hamlet and The Youthful Queen Christine of Sweden | 10 August 1830 (Tuesday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | |
| As You Like It and Who's to Have Her? | 12 August 1830 (Thursday) | Dramatic Institution Scrapbook | Between the pieces there was an address on the close of the season. |