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Stage direction and dialogue for Oliver Twist manuscript, C0254, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Purchased by George Mason University Libraries before 2008.
Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in April 2015. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in April 2015. Finding aid updated by Amanda Brent in April 2020.
Charles Dickens's novels, including "Oliver Twist," were frequently dramatized in both Europe and America, even during the author's lifetime in the 19th century. As Marc Cohen notes in an article in the Dickensian, these theatrical versions were all unauthorized until 1844, when the first authorized adaptation of a Dickens novella, "A Christmas Carol," was produced. Cohen also points out that copyright laws in the United Kingdom and the United States did not protect Dickens's right to prevent or profit from such adaptations. The 1865 "Oliver Twist" produced at Wallack's Theatre in New York City was most likely one of these unauthorized dramatizations.
This bound manuscript contains handwritten stage directions handwritten dialogue for a dramatized version of "Oliver Twist." It was presumably used in productions that were presented in New York City at Wallack's Theatre in 1865. An advertisement and cast list for the production is pasted on the inside cover of the manuscript. Another advertisement for the play is pasted on the inside back cover.
The manuscript is arranged by acts of the play, with stage directions on the left side and dialogue on the right side of every two page spread. This is a single item collection.
Cohen, Marc D. "How Dickens Co-opted the British Theatrical Adaptation Industry in 1844, Part I," The Dickensian: Summer 2012; Proquest Research Library, 126-140.
Available in digital format.