Representation of the Impiety and Immorality of the English Stage (1704); Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage in a Letter to a Lady (1704)

This work brings together two anonymous pamphlets from the early 1700s that reignited the fierce moral debate over London’s theatres. The author, writing in the wake of a devastating storm, accuses actors of flaunting God’s power by staging Macbeth and The Temped at an inopportune moment, and he calls for a revival of religious scrutiny as Fast Day approaches. An introductory essay frames the controversy, tracing its roots to Jeremy Collier’s earlier attacks and explaining why the pamphleteer felt his fresh indictment was necessary.

Listeners will hear a meticulous reconstruction of the period’s polemical language, complete with excerpts of the alleged profane passages that were used as evidence against the stage. The edition also includes a set of seventeen probing questions designed to challenge theatre‑goers about the moral cost of their entertainment. Together, these elements paint a vivid picture of how early‑modern audiences grappled with the tension between art and piety.