Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The theatrical genre of aqua drama that was popular in 19th century France, England, and the United States involved flooding the arenas of circuses for recreations of major naval conflicts and similar aquatic events; some venues participated to such a great extent in this once-popular form as to install permanent water-tanks on stage. Water-based spectacles, especially those portraying great naval battles, had been popular in Roman times, when they were known as naumachia, and the custom was resurrected at various times during the Middle Ages. During Charles Dibdin’s management, the Aquatic Theatre, as Great Britain's Sadler's Wells Theatre was then known, specialized in marine spectacles and nautical dramas. Its proximity to the New River meant easy access to the necessary water. The Siege of Gibralter, mounted in 1804, deployed 117 model ships created by the Woolwich Dockyard shipwrights which were capable of firing their guns. For the parts of drowning Spanish sailors, Dibdin cast children who were seen struggling in the waves.

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