Toy theater

Toy Theater (c.1845–50) by John Redington of London, showing a scene from Isaac Pocock's two-act play "The Miller And His Men". An exhibit in the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood

Toy theater, also called paper theater and model theater (also spelt theatre, see spelling differences), is a form of miniature theater dating back to the early 19th century in Europe. Toy theaters were often printed on paperboard sheets and sold as kits at the concession stand of an opera house, playhouse, or vaudeville theater. Toy theatres were assembled at home and performed for family members and guests, sometimes with live musical accompaniment. Toy theatre saw a drastic decline in popularity with a shift towards realism on the European stage in the late 19th century, and again with the arrival of television after World War II.[1] Toy theatre has seen a resurgence in recent years among many puppeteers, authors and filmmakers and there are numerous international toy theatre festivals throughout the Americas and Europe.[2][3]

  1. ^ Bell, John. "A Short Entertaining History of Toy Theater." Cambridge: Great Small Works, 2008.
  2. ^ Shapiro, Gary (June 14, 2005). "With Toy Theaters, Small Is Beautiful". The New York Sun. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "Stage Directions Magazine". September 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2021.