23 https://doi.org/10.2979/victorianstudies.61.1.01 English eng Vargo, Gregory Contributor <p><span style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">[...]the play shows violence undergirding contemporary political and economic structures, suggesting that they can only be countered with force. Though such spaces were usually smaller than commercial theaters, drama still represented an opportunity to broaden Chartism's appeal beyond those willing to attend rallies or meetings. [...]the Leicester Chartists described a performance of Hamlet before the impending imprisonment of local leader Thomas Cooper as an effort by "our 'General' . . . to fortify the central town in England in such a manner as to render it an impregnable garrison of Chartism, during his second incarceration" ("Leicester"). [...]the Juvenile Association arose out of conflicts with "older members" over the question of physical force and the practice of armed drilling ("South"). [...]the plays Brierley staged, including Wat Tyler and William Wallace, were popular in Chartist circles. 23.</span><br></p> Indiana University Press Autumn 2018 pdf ISSN 0042-5222 History Chartist Drama: The Performance of Revolt mixed material Indiana University Press