MAC spring lecture series: An 18th century entrepreneur: Sarah Baker and her Kentish theatres, 1737 to 1816
MAC spring lecture series: An 18th Century Entrepreneur | Sarah Baker and her Kentish Theatres, 1737 to 1816
  • Date: 11th April 2023
  • Location: Medway Archives Centre (MAC), 32 Bryant Road
    Strood
    ME2 3EP
  • Time: 14:00
  • Cost: £4 each or £20 for the full series of 6 talks

Speaker: Dr Jean Baker

Sarah Baker was an illiterate fairground performer who became one of the most successful self-made women of the 18th century.

Sarah opened her Rochester Theatre in 1791.

She was a very pragmatic and opportunistic person.

Sarah played a hugely influential role in the development of the evolving Kentish towns where she built her theatres at the end of the 18th century.

About the speaker

Jean Baker (not a descendant of Sarah Baker) worked as a journalist for some years.

In 2000, she completed a PhD at the University of Kent that explored the significance of provincial theatre in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Her published work includes:

  • The Proclamation Society, William Mainwaring and the Theatres Representations Act of 1788
  • Theatre, Law and Society in the Provinces: The Case of Sarah Baker
  • Sarah Baker and her Kentish Theatres 1737 to 1816: Challenging the Status Quo.

The MAC spring lecture series

This is one of 6 talks in the Medway Archives Centre (MAC) spring lecture series.

Each talk costs £4 per ticket or you can book a space to all 6 talks for £20.

To book, visit the Medway Archives Centre events page.