‘Royal Pierrots’ and ‘White Coons’: the British Pierrot Troupe in the Racial and National Imaginary

Calvert, Dave (2013) ‘Royal Pierrots’ and ‘White Coons’: the British Pierrot Troupe in the Racial and National Imaginary. New Theatre Quarterly, 29 (2). pp. 107-120. ISSN 0266-464X

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Abstract

The Pierrot tradition, invented towards the end of the nineteenth century, established a prevalent but now largely forgotten mode of performance around the coastal resorts of Britain. In this article, Dave Calvert considers the relevance of this form in its historical context. Arguing that it observes the preservation of anachronism consistent with notions of invented traditions, he situates the Pierrot tradition within a symbolic network concerned with national identity and experience. This includes its declared links to the construction of royalty as the head of the imperial family, and both its schism and continuity with the tradition of blackface minstrelsy whose conventions it maintains. Its location at the seaside accentuates this network of relations and elevates it to a transcendental plane of the imaginary untroubled by the complexities of modern life.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Schools:	School of Music, Humanities and Media School of Music, Humanities and Media > Drama Research Group
Related URLs:	Author
Depositing User:	David Calvert
Date Deposited:	08 May 2013 16:32
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2016 17:57
URI:	http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17410

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