Penny gaff

It consisted of short, theatrical entertainments which could be staged wherever space permitted, such as the back room of a public house or small hall.

The lessee of the venue would often stand by the stage, calling out when each act should finish in an attempt to maximise the evening's revenue.

Easy to perform, well-known to the audience, and with simple exciting stories, the deeds of famous highwaymen, robbers and murderers, such as those featured in The Newgate Calendar were popular subjects for the plays.

The stories of the 18th-century robber Jack Sheppard, who escaped from prison on numerous occasions, and the gory Red Barn Murder were among the most enduring.

[2] The established penny gaff theatres were feared as breeding grounds for criminals by the Victorian moral reformers, as, in the words of one city missionary: "no respectable person goes, so they have it all their own way, and corrupt the minds of youth without rebuke".