Problematic Images: Some Pitfalls Associated with the use of Iconography in Seventeenth-century French Theatre History

The study of iconography is now firmly established as a key strand within the discipline of theatre studies. This essay examines its development, focusing primarily on the theoreticians of the 1990s and 2000s, and its evolution from a sub-strand of art history to an academic endeavor in its own right. As Christopher Balme has noted, by the late 1990s theatre iconography had established a canon of problematic documents, which did not lend themselves to easy interpretation for a variety of reasons. However, as a natural consequence of the research interests of the scholars involved, the areas covered were necessarily circumscribed. The aims of this essay therefore are to bring some seventeenth-century French problematic images and the questions they raise to the attention of a wider public, situate them in relation to previous and ongoing conversations within the discipline, and discuss the particular challenges they present. It opens with a brief survey of the development of the study of theatre iconography, followed by a discussion of a single emblematic image. The remainder of the essay examines examples of theatre architecture, frontispieces, and special effects: the first two because they are of particular relevance to French seventeenth-century theatre history; and the last because it is an area that has previously been little explored. Finally, the essay concludes with some thoughts on the particular problems that surround the use of images by scholars and students today

The Guénégaud Theatre 1673-1680 and the machine plays of Thomas Corneille

The Guénégaud theatre was in operation in Paris from 1673 to 1680 - from shortly after Molière's death to the foundation of the Comedie-Frangaise. Although the first home of both the Paris Opera and the Comedie-Frangaise, the Guénégaud has attracted little attention, and no previous study has been devoted entirely to it, despite the fact that the Guénégaud account books are preserved in the Archives of the Comedie-Francaise. These have provided a wealth of information on the day-to-day running of a seventeenth-century French theatre and the preparation of productions. What is more, a study of the records of ticket sales they contain has been found to make possible not only an analysis of the tastes and, to a certain extent, the composition of the Guénégaud's audiences, but also a reconstruction of the theatre building itself. In 1673, the Guénégaud company was in a highly vulnerable position. Just seven years later, however, it was so powerful and in possession of a theatre so well-equipped, - that it was the ancient and prestigious Hotel de Bourgogne company that was closed down and its actors transferred to the Guénégaud to form the Comedie-Francaise. This thesis, therefore, further examines how the Guénégaud company succeeded in effecting this reversal in their fortunes. One major contributing factor was the Guénégaud company's series of machine plays by Thomas Corneille and Donneau De Vise. Concentrating on Circe, the first and most successful of these, as a single representative production, this thesis, is also, therefore, a study of the adaptation and final demise of a genre where music was of primary importance in the face of implacable opposition from Lully, desirous of protecting his privilege on the production of operas. Finally, the thesis attempts to show that if there is any justification in the tradition by which the Comedie-Frangaise is known as the 'Maison de Moliere', this is entirely due to the Guénégaud company's success in ensuring their own survival and, in so doing, maintaining and transmitting their inheritance from Moliere's troupe, and that this same survival was in no small part thanks to the machine plays of Thomas Corneille

Developing Reflective Practice in Police Firearms Instruction.

This paper reports collaboration between University College Worcester and the Firearms School of West Mercia Constabulary to design, develop, implement and evaluate a national course for authorised firearms officers to become firearms instructors. The report charts its development from the time of involvement by University College Worcester and the way it has been changed to meet the needs of students. The course is based on the principles of reflective practice, encouraging firearms instructors to engage in lifelong learning as part of their continuing professional development. This central principle of reflective practice is explored in the context of the aims, delivery and outcomes of the course. Those officers who successfully complete the course are awarded the Instructors Certificate of the ACPO Firearms Committee. In addition, it is planned to award a credit accumulated transfer rated Certificate in Education to those officers who also pass the assessment set by University College Worcester. Note