Acting had been a profession since the Middle Ages, when companies of players were formed. These are familiar to us from the later, Elizabethan, era, when Shakespeare’s King’s Men flourished in London. However, it was not until the 18th century that acting gradually began to be a more respected profession, open to both men and women. If you have acting ancestors from the last 200 years, you may well find them in records available online at TheGenealogist.co.uk .

The Era of the Commonwealth saw theatres being banned for 12 years. They were re-established by Charles II, an enthusiastic patron. Charles’s long-term mistress and father of two of his children, Nell Gwyn, was herself an actress in the bawdy restoration comedies that played a large role in London society. The new theatres that were established were also the first to employ female actors; beforehand all roles were played by men and boys. Although the Licensing Act of 1737 introduced censorship of plays, theatre continued to flourish as a favourite pastime among people of different classes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Neoclassical, elaborate 18th-century drama was replaced in the earlier 19th by Romanticism and melodrama, and the later by the realism of dramas such as those by Henrik Ibsen. However, variety shows, comedies, pantomimes and burlesque were also popular during the Victorian period, as were operas and operettas, such as those of Gilbert and Sullivan.

During the 19th century in particular the theatrical world was dominated by acting dynasties, including the famed Kemble family (which included Sarah Siddons), and by actor–managers, who not only ran their own theatres but starred in their productions. Famous names include Herbert Beerbohm Tree and Henry Irving, whose work at his London Lyceum theatre also helped to make acting a more respectable profession. An actor–manager was a powerful figure who commanded the respect of those who worked for him – or, indeed, her, as there were a handful of female actor–managers, including Eliza Vestris, who managed the Olympic Theatre in 1830.

By 1900 London had more than 60 theatres. As they were so popular with people from all walks of life, theatres, and their actor–managers, employed many workers in addition to performers: seamstresses to make the costumes; carpenters, joiners and painters to build and decorate the often-intricate sets and scenery; musicians and composers; front-of-house staff and ticket sellers.

Unusually, actors and actresses employed by theatres came from a range of social backgrounds. Pay seems to have varied greatly. From the 1700s actors and actresses became celebrities in their own rights, and ‘big names’ commanded high salaries while others worked for a pittance. Women’s salaries could equal those of men if one had the talent, and often looks, to succeed. The names of leading actresses such as Ellen Terry and Sarah Siddons are still known today. Acting was a far-from-easy life for many, though: touring was often expected, and this was especially difficult for those with children.

If you have an ancestor who worked in the theatre – whether he or she trod the boards, was involved backstage, or was even a playwright – there are a number of resources that can help you to find out more. TheGenealogist.co.uk has two main datasets relating specifically to the theatre. Who’s Who in the Theatre 1922 is ideal for tracing theatrical connections. It includes trees of theatrical families, biographies of actors including Charlie Chaplin and Lillie Langtry, obituaries that date back to the 1600s, actors and others who worked in theatres who died during World War One, calendars of performances of plays, and even details of actors’ wills.

The equally encyclopedic Biographia Dramatica: Companion to the Playhouse is over a century older, published in 1812. It includes biographies of British and Irish playwrights and actors, plus chronological lists of their works, which date from the 1500s to 1811. The detail is incredible, and if you suspect that you may have a dramatist among your forebears this would be an excellent resource with which to begin a search.

As well as TheGenealogist’s resources detailed above, there are valuable pages detailing what life was life for theatrical workers in the 18th and 19th centuries on the V&A Museum’s Theatre and Performance website. The Society of Genealogists also has a relevant publication by Alan Ruston: My Ancestor Worked in the Theatre (978-1903462898, £5.99, 2005).