Reading Social Spaces

Abstract

Built by public subscription in 1770, and in operation until 1830, the Bombay Theatre represents a curious colonial social space. Ticket sales show a range of Bombay ‘Society’ – from wealthy Parsi merchants to European ensigns – actively sought out the entertainment it promised, and an even broader swathe of society was involved in its day-to-day operation. This chapter argues that the theatre was, for a time, an important location for the articulation of urban life by those who claimed to represent Bombay ‘Society’. It uses an exploration of the life of the theatre to understand the place of shared leisure in the construction of colonial respectability. This chapter suggests the ways in which we might read the theatre not simply as a metaphor for the broader colonial social frame, but that we can examine the ways in which imperial power was encoded and embedded in the operation of this social space.