The Lord Chamberlain's requirements were a set of four prerequisites for a licence for a production in British theatres. These were printed in theatre programmes so the audience could be aware of them. The

Lord Chamberlain's Office The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Household. It is concerned with matters such as protocol, state visits, investitures, garden parties, royal weddings and funerals. For example, in April 2005 it organised t ...

had control of theatres until 1968, including

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

of the production content as well as for logistical matters. In the 1980s, they were replaced by similar requirements applied by a local licensing authority. The original regulations were officially known as the Lord Chamberlain's Regulations, but as they were printed in every programme as "The Lord Chamberlain's Requirements", this became their accepted name. The requirements cover: # Leaving the theatre at the end of the performance. # Freedom of gangways and passages from obstruction. # Limitations on standees. # Operation of the

safety curtain A safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a passive fire protection feature used in large proscenium Theater (structure), theatres. It is usually a heavy fabric curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based mate ...

during each performance. Three of the requirements (leaving the theatre, freedom of the gangways and the operation of the safety curtain) were set to music by

Donald Swann Donald Ibrahim Swann (30 September 1923 – 23 March 1994) was a British composer, musician, singer and entertainer. He was one half of Flanders and Swann, writing and performing Novelty song, comic songs with Michael Flanders. Early life Dona ...

for the revue

Fresh Airs ''Fresh Airs'' was a revue produced by Laurier Lister that opened in Brighton in 1955. It was the last in his series of "Airs" revues before Flanders & Swann started performing for themselves in '' At the Drop of a Hat''. Cast * Max Adrian * Mo ...

and were later used as encores for the

Flanders and Swann Flanders and Swann were a British comedy duo and musicians. Michael Flanders (1922–1975) was a lyricist, actor, and singer. He collaborated with Donald Swann (1923–1994), a composer and pianist, in writing and performing comedy music, comic ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

'' At the Drop of a Hat''.

Example

The following is a sample text of the Lord Chamberlain's Regulations from the programme of a performance by the

Théâtre du Nouveau Monde The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (; TNM) is a theatre company and venue located on rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in , it launched with the classic play ''L'Avare'' by Molière. Initially located at the Gesù (1951–1958), it ...

at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

during the Commonwealth Arts Festival of 1965.

References

* London Theatre programmes of the period 1948 to 2008 Theatre of the United Kingdom {{UK-theat-stub