Samuel Foote and the Comedic Regeneration of Thomas Weston

Abstract

Samuel Foote, the prototypical self-made man, assisted the careers of Edward Shuter, Tate Wilkinson, Henry Woodward, and Thomas Weston, some of the finest comic actors of the mid-eighteenth century, by supporting them with positions in his Haymarket troupe. Nevertheless, Foote was plagued throughout his own career by conflicts with actors and actresses, theatre managers and owners. Shuter frequently acted at rival houses, while Wilkinson and Woodward were as often offended as encouraged by Foote. Weston, however, received special treatment from the Haymarket master and reciprocated in what became a most unusual symbiotic exchange: Foote taught Weston that his theatrical survival depended on exploiting his natural proclivity for low comedy, and Weston's subsequent success helped to finance Foote's dramatic experiments, aiding his creative development both as a comic actor and playwright.