Post Revolutionary Theatre in America – 1782 to the Civil War
After the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, the war was basically over. England
officially recognized this confederation as an independent country in 1783, and the constitution
was finally written and ratified in 1789, whereupon George Washington became our first
president. Yup, things were finally calming down here just as they were heating up in France.
With relative stability, theatre could begin again.
New York – When the fighting was over the members of the dispersed American Company
returned, notably Lewis Hallam in 1784. He performed at the John Street Theatre in New
York until 1894. In 1798 the Park Theatre opened in New York. This theatre went bankrupt in
1805 and was reopened in 1807, after which time it was run by business people rather than actors
or directors. Starring actors were featured, notably George Frederick Cooke in 1810, and the
success meant that the star system had begun.
Boston – Theatre had been outlawed in this Puritan colony prior to the Revolution, but the ban
was rescinded in 1793 and in that year the Federal Street Theatre opened. An acting company
was imported from England.
Philadelphia – The most significant theatre through the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th
centuries was the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Built in 1791, this proscenium
theatre was the swankiest in America and seated 1200.
Charleston – In 1795 a permanent company is established at the City Theatre. Many of these
plays are in French.
To 1800
Theatres are established along the eastern seaboard.
Regulations against theatre are relaxed, especially in the northern states.
The sharing system is largely abandoned for salaries and benefits.
The plays produced are mainly English and European imports and classics. Romanticism and
Melodrama rule.
1800 to 1861
Westward Ho!
1807 – Steamship invented
1815 – Samuel Drake takes a company of 10 overland to Pittsburg, then down the Ohio River to
Kentucky. He establishes a new touring circuit. Others soon follow.
1816 – Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia becomes the first to light the stage with gas. By
the 1940s gas light dominates theatre illumination, supplemented with limelights and carbon arc
lights for spots.
1830 – First railroad begins operating.
1831 – William Chapman, an English transplant, fits out a boat as a floating theatre. The
steamship had been invented in 1807, and by 1836 there were many steamship showboats in
operation. Showboats continued to be popular until the 1920s.
As in the east, the staples of these touring shows are melodrama sprinkled with classics.
1845 – Anna Cora Mowatt becomes first professional female American playwright (Fashion – A
comedy of Manners about NY social life)
1849 – The Eagle Theatre in Sacramento begins offering theatre in California (to gold miners)
1849 – Edwin Booth debuts in Boston
1850 – 35 resident stock companies in the US. This would increase to 50 in 1860, when war and
railroads stymied growth.
1852 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin plays for 300 consecutive performances. The Long Run becomes the
producer’s goal and repertories diminish. Think economies of scale.
Repertory System – From the beginning, American theatre was based on the repertory system.
Both resident stock companies and touring companies performed in repertory. Even
tremendously successful shows might perform 15 times, but then they would rotate with the
others that a company performed. In 1852, however, Uncle Tom’s Cabin played for 300 straight
performances. Suddenly producers saw a way to maximize profits (and counteract the huge
costs associated with bringing in touring stars). The long run became the new goal and
repertories became smaller and smaller. As an example, the Boston Museum presented 140
different plays in the 1851-2 season (68 full-length and 72 afterpieces). In 1875 they presented
75. In 1893 only 15. In 1870 there were more than 50 touring companies performing Uncle
Tom’s Cabin, and there were still 12 touring that play exclusively in 1927.
Combination Companies – As the star system and the long run eroded the resident stock
companies, ease of travel also began to be felt. Stars began touring with entire casts and sets
(Combination Companies – combining stars and supporting cast). By 1876 there were 100 of
these combination companies touring the US, and by 1886 there were 282.
1859 – Darwin’s On The Origin of the Species
1869 – First trans-continental railroad
Eastern Theatres
Expansion
Bigger theatres
More shows per week
More variety in evening’s bill
More Theatres and competition
1826 – the Bowery Theatre (the slaughter house)
New companies
New venues (circuses, tents, etc.)
Touring stars
1820 – Edmund Kean
1822 – Charles Matthews
After this time, most major English stars make numerous American tours.
First American superstars
Edwin Forrest (1806–1872) – Begins performing in 1826 at the Bowery. Immediately
successful. His performance style is athletic and uninhibited and valued expressivity over
refinement. This comes to characterize American performance.
Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876) – An extremely versatile actress, Cushman was sought
out by touring English stars (like Macready) when they came to America. She didn’t win
American fame, however, until she traveled to England and became a sensation there in 1845.
After that time she wrote her own contracts wherever she went. Though more sophisticated than
Forrest, Cushman elevated American expressivity and helped to create an American style of
performance.
Minstrel Shows
1828 – Thomas Rice performs his “Jim Crow” variety act – mainly blackface song and dance.
This is so popular that others begin doing similar shows, and the form expands until The
Minstrel Show is developed in 1846. The Minstrel Show had two parts. The first part consisted
of music and jokes: a middle man who was the master of ceremonies commonly traded insults
and jokes with the end men, named Tambo and Bones for their instruments. The second part
was a more free-form variety show with specialty acts, dancing, and skits. Racial stereotypes
were employed for comic effect. This form was very popular even after the civil war and didn’t
die out until the 1920s. The Federal Theatre Project brought it back briefly in the 1930s.
1821 – African Grove launches the career of Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), the first African
American superstar. Underappreciated in America, Aldridge traveled to Europe in 1852. He
was an immediate success and spent the remainder of his career abroad.
1861-1865 – American Civil War
Increasing commercialization – Charles Frohman and The Syndicate
Centrality of New York