Event Comment: Pit and Boxes laid together. No admittance to Pit but through the boxes and with tickets. Towards raising a fund for the relief of those who from their infirmities shall be oblig'd to retire from the stage. This fund having been begun by a voluntary contribution among the performers improved by a proportionable weekly deduction on their salaries and intended as a reciprocal provision for them, their widows and children in sickness and infirmity, it is humbly hoped an appeal to the generosity of the public will not be taken amiss &c. (Winston MS 9)

Event Comment: [By Eliza Haywood.] Never Acted before. Receipts: #37 12s. 6d. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 4 March: Since the late Riot at the New Playhouse, his Majesty has been pleased to order that Company the same Number of Guards they have at Drury Lane

Event Comment: [By Ambrose Phillips.] Never Acted before. With new Habits. [See also Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 24 Feb., and Freeholder's Journal, 21 Feb.

Event Comment: [Written by Ambrose Philips.] Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 23 Feb.: If we consider the Performance of this Play, we shall find, that the Poet is not much beholding to the Actors; for, the two Women Parts excepted, the whole Play was but wretchedly perform'd

Event Comment: [By William Philips.] Receipts: #26 19s. 6d. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 18 April: But how contemptible an Opinion must the next Generation have of this Age, if it should be known amongst them; that the first Night this Tragedy appear'd upon the Stage, it did not Bring half a House, because it happen'd to be upon a Masquerade Night

Event Comment: Written by Mr Congreve. [For an essay on the stage, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 10 Sept.

Event Comment: ctually no play. Death of George II closed theatres three weeks.] Mainpiece: Not acted in 2 years. [See 28 April 1759. There was no income this night, but the play list had to be met. The house carried a profitable balance of #318 16s. 5d. The payroll plus other expenses came to #284 12s. 9d., leaving a thin balance of #34 3s. 8d. (Account Book). Other bills included #14 17s. to Luppino for making dancing dresses; Robertson 10s. for attendance four nights in The Rape; Miss Ibbott #5 5s. for performing the part of Queen Elizabeth in the Earl of Essex; Marenesi and wife advanced weekly #2 2s. till the Theatre opened again (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit towards the Increase of a Fund, established by the Performers of the Theatre Royal Covent Garden for the Support of Decayed Actors and their Families. This Fund having been begun by voluntary contributions among the performers, improved by a proportionable Weekly Deduction on their salaries, and intended as a reciprocal Provision for them their widows and children, in sickness and infirmity, it is humbly hoped and appeal to the Generosity of the Public will not be taken amiss. Such of the Nobility, Gentry, &c. who are pleas'd to favour this Undertaking, are desired to send for places, Box or Pit tickets, to Mr Sarjant, at the Stage Door. Mainpiece [by John Banks]: Not acted these 20 years. Occasional Prologue, written by Hull [printed in the Jester's Magazine, May 1766, p. 241]

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Afterpiece: Performed but once these 3 years. [See 15 Feb. 1764 and 30 Dec. 1762.] [The year (1766) first appears on playbills this season. The regular music charge each night appears as a constant charge of about #6 19s. 10d. Extra music and chorus singers for the Coronation amount each night it is presented to #5 2s. The nightly wardrobe and property charge varies but averages #8 15s. combined (Account Book). The Account Book for this year makes no weekly balance, as did earlier ones. It records a continuous cumulative list of receipts (Account No. 149), and on the page opposite records a cumulative list of payments. Comparison of the two columns can at any monent indicate the relationship between income and expenditure. The Account Book is BM ADD Egerton MSS 2272.] Receipts: #271 18s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Doors open at 5 o'clock. Play begins at 6 o'clock. [Young Lady identified by Kemble note on playbill and by Winston MS 10. Her identity appears from playbill of 13 Oct. where her name occurs in character of Rosetta along with the statement that it is her fourth appearance on any stage. She appears on the weekly payroll from the first week at 16s. 6d. per day (Account Book). The Westminster Magazine believed her to be no actress (October issue): "Her musical powers were not extraordinary; her acting powers still worse."] Receipts: #206 14s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Hamlet -Smith as usual (Hopkins Diary). Paid half year's Watch, St Martins #32 9s. 6d.; Housekeeper's 4 Bills #50 7s. 10d.; Music Books to Mr Stayner, #6 18s. (Treasurer's Book). [The housekeeper's weekly bill averaged #10, for a total of #380 the season. No further itemization of it will be made.] Receipts: #183 3s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. For a comment on The Nonjuror and The Perjuror, see Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 28 Dec

Event Comment: Original Weekly Journal, 21 Nov., announces forthcoming plays: Southern's Spartan Dame in a few days, then Steele's The Gentleman, shortly afterwards

Event Comment: Original Weekly Journal, 7 Jan.: Last Monday Night the Celebrated Mrs Oldfield performed at the Theatre in Drury Lane, for the first Time since her Indisposition

Event Comment: Written by the late Mr Otway. Receipts: #26 3s. 6d. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 13 Jan.: Mr C. Bullock having a considerable Part in the Play; and being sick in his Bed, chose to rise and perform his Part; rather than disappoint the Audience, but was not able to finish it; therefore his Part in the last Act was read by another

Event Comment: Not Acted these Twelve Years. Receipts: #46 14s. 6d. The Prologue is printed in British Journal, 26 Jan. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 2 Feb.: It was well acted, in all its different Parts, and justly as well as beautifully drest

Event Comment: Written by Shakespear. [For a brief comment on this performance, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 27 Sept.

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Distinction. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear by the late Mr Betterton. [For essays on the stage, see Universal Spectator, 8 Dec, and Weekly Miscellany, 8 Dec]

Event Comment: N.B. The West Indian is oblig'd to be deferred. Paid Mr Vernon on note, #43 13s.; Housekeeper's bill #2 12s. 3d.; Properties 17s. 8d. (Treasurer's Book). [The housekeeper's bill was rendered weekly and the properties bill about every two weeks. The first averaged #8 7s. per week and totaled #310 for the season. The second averaged #2 4s. for a total of #81 14s. for the season. Neither will be itemized further.] Receipts: #248 2s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [By John Hughes.] Never Acted before. The Orphan Reviv'd or Powell's Weekly Journal, 20 Feb.: On Wednesday last, the Ingenious Mr John Hughes, Author of the Tragedy call'd the Siege of Damascus, died without seeing it acted

Event Comment: Not Acted these Ten years [but see 22 Dec. 1713]. By His Royal Highness's Command. Written by Ben Johnson. [Prince and Princess present. The Epilogue is in Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 16 Dec.

Event Comment: Benefit Randall, Tubman, Fletcher. Receipts: money #7 9s.; tickets #131 17s. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 25 May: This is esteem'd Mr Dryden's best Play

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Weekly. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Written by Beaumont and Fletcher

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear. Afterpiece: Written by the Author of the Toy Shop. Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 26 Feb.: On Monday Night last a great Disturbance happened at Drury-lane Play-house, occasioned by a great Number of Footmen, who assembled themselves in a riotous and tumultuous Manner, with great Outcries of burning the House, unless they were immediately admitted into what they call their Gallery; and in order to strike a Terror, they began to hew down the Door of the Passage which leads to the said Gallery, of which Col. Deveil, who was then in the House, had immediate Notice, and thereupon came out where they were thus assembled, and notwithstanding they threatened to knock his Brains out, he read the Proclamation to them, admonish'd them to retire, and desist from so unlawful an undertaking. [The footmen soon withdrew.

Event Comment: Benefit for Ballard, Treasurer. [For Entertainment, see 26 March] Receipts. #39 8s. 6d. plus #211 6s. from tickets (Box 282; Pit 782; Gallery 235). [Ballard deliver'd 1,299 tickets, nearly the record fbr any recipient of a benefit, actor or nonactor. His profit of #187 14s. 6d. seems to have been equivalent to more than 3 years' salary, since he is set down for a weekly salary of #1 in the Account Book for this year.] Charges: #63 (Account Book)