Under the 1737 Licensing Act, Covent Garden, Dury Lane and regional Theatres Royal held a monopoly on the dramatic canon. This work explores the presentation of foreign cultures and ethnicities on the popular British stage from 1750 to 1840. It argues that this illegitimate stage was the site for a plebeian Enlightenment.

Introduction, David Worrall; Chapter 1 The Theatrical Network, David Worrall; Chapter 2 The Representation of Race on the Georgian Stage, David Worrall; Chapter 3 James Hewlett, Ira Aldridge and the Death of Christophe, King of Hayti, David Worrall; Chapter 4 Islamic India Restored: El Hyder and Tippoo Saib at the Royal Coburg Theatre, David Worrall; Chapter 5 The North African Islamic States on the British and American Stage, David Worrall; Chapter 6 Pacific Pantomimes: Omai, Or, A Trip Round The World And The Death Of Captain Cook, David Worrall; Chapter 7 Colonists, Convicts, Settlers and Natives: La Perouse, Pitcairn's Island and Van Diemen's Land!, David Worrall; Chapter 102 Conclusion, David Worrall;