The Restoration Stage Controversy

With the restoration, a new vitality sprang up in English theatre. Theatres were redesigned, actors began forming their own companies and women appeared on stage for the first time. However, the alleged licentiousness and profanity of dramatic works invoked a new Puritanical fury. At the centre of this debate was Jeremy Collier who dealt sharply with offending dramatists, regardless of their wit or prestige. This set charts the turbulent period of English restoration drama and its fight against Puritanical moralizing and censorship.