The Beginnings of American Theatre

American theatre began in the early 18th century. It is not entirely known exactly when or where the first theatrical production was performed in North America, but historians do have some rough ideas. It is known that some performances occurred in the late 1600’s, professional acting went on in New York, and a professional theatre was built with running performances in Williamsburg, Virginia around 1716. It is believed that theatrical performance was used mostly in the South where there were people were less prejudice towards the performing arts. In northern states theatrical performance was frowned upon for religious and moral reasons. In 1750 the General Court of Massachusetts passed an act that forbade all types of stage plays from being performed in the state, though some were performed anyway. But ironically, the first kept records of theatrics were found in New England states. Records have also been found of a play performed by Harvard students in the 1600’s. This tragedy “Gustavus Vasa” by Benjamin Colman is the first known play written by an American and performed in America. The newspapers of the time just short of forbade any articles of performances or playhouses, perhaps explaining why historians have found such little information about early American theatre. Without newspaper advertisement, the actors themselves would bring “handbills” to the doors of theatre-goers to advertise upcoming performances. Although theatrics were often looked down upon, eventually people started to realize the greatness of the performing arts.

http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/hornblow01.html

Mrs. Leslie Carter

Mrs. Leslie Carter was an American stage and silent film actress in the 19th century. She was born to Orson Dudley in Louisville, Kentucky in 1862, but spent most of her childhood in Dayton, Ohio. Carter grew to be known as “the American Sarah Bernhardt” (Sara Bernhardt was a legendary French stage and film actress). She married Mr. Leslie Carter, a Chicago socialite, at age 17. Mrs. Carter first became known for a notorious divorce after only nine years of marriage for which she was accused of disloyalty. Carter was born as Caroline Louise Dudley, and after her divorce she turned to a career in acting where she kept her married name in retaliation to her ex-husband. Her fame as an actress was achieved under the direction of David Belasco who directed four shows in ten years that brought Carter to international fame. The quartet of plays included The Heart of Maryland, Zaza, Du Barry, and Adrea. Unfortunately, not many other works of hers would amount to the success of these four plays. During a later performance of Two Women Carter was negatively criticized by a review that stated her as having “the courage to persevere in a form of acting which is now almost extinct”. She then turned to “posing” rather than acting in her fifties when she performed in a few silent films. Later in her career Carter took on some supporting roles on Broadway before retiring to California.

http://academic.reed.edu/theatre/faculty/clinton/00msccarter/

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Mrs._Leslie_Carter

Theatrical Performance (future blog ideas)

lives of actors

actor biographies

playwrites

theatres/playhouses/opera houses

lighting

sound

set design

makeup

costumes

performance types: plays, musicals, operas

specific performance types: comedy, drama, tragedy

dance/movement

salaries

the views of society towards actors

directors

choreographers

band/music

audiences

emotions

Wilkes Booth (famous actor) shoots president Abe Lincoln

Eugene O’Neill

American playwright Eugene Gladstone O’Neill was born on October 16, 1888 in “a Broadway hotel room in New York City”. Son of the famous actor James O’Neill, Eugene was constantly on tours with his father as a young child. Eugene enrolled in Princeton University but was expelled. In the year of 1912, he came down with tuberculosis and became very ill. But the disease actually set his career in motion, for he was inspired to become a playwright while reading during his recovery from the illness. O’Neill’s playwriting was broken up over three periods. His early realist shows were influenced by his own life experiences. His next batch of shows were expressionistic. Some of his many influences during this time consisted of Frederick Nietzsche, Carl Jung, and August Strindberg. O’Neill went back to writing about realism in his final playwriting period. His final pieces were those “which most critics consider his best”. Four of his plays won Pulitzer Prizes: Beyond the Horizon in 1920, Anna Christie in 1922, Strange Interlude in 1928, and Long Day’s Journey into Night in 1957. O’Neill was also awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936.

http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95oct/egoneill.html

Boston Theatre (1794-1852 and 1854-1925)

Boston, Mass. “inaugurated its theater history” with the Boston Theatre which later came to be known as the Federal Street Theatre. The first playhouse in Boston opened on February 3, 1794. In its beginning, the theatre’s star performers were Julia Dean and Edwin Forrest. Sadly the building burned down just four years later, but it was quickly rebuilt. The Federal Street Theatre was changed into a lecture hall named the “Odeon” in the year 1835. However, the building was reopened as a playhouse with its first name, The Boston Theatre, eleven years later. In the year of 1852 the Federal Street building was destroyed, and a new Boston Theatre was opened on Washington Street two years later. This new Boston Theatre was also the host of many opera and musical performances including Beethoven’s Fidelio. The Boston Theatre was dubbed “the finest theatre in the world” by the producer and playwright by the name of Dion Boucicault. The theatre held up to 3000 audience members, and was packed to that 3000 limit many knights. A number of noteworthy actors and actresses performed on that stage. Charlotte Cushman, Henry Irving, and Edwin Booth were just a few of the many.

http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/224

19th Century Melodrama

During the theatrical 19th century, the most prominent type of theatre production was the melodrama. Melodrama is a type of production that includes many specific characteristics. Melodrama comes from “music drama”. Music is used to increase or elicit emotions and to signify certain characters. Traits of good and evil are personified in main characters of a melodrama. There are certain character types seen in melodramas such as a hero, a heroine, a comic character, and a villain. This type of production has a specific formula. First, an antagonist creates a threat or problem, next the hero escapes the problem and/or rescues the heroine from a dangerous situation, and finally the situation or problem is resolved through strong morals and virtues. The ends of melodramas often show a switch of fortune in the characters such as a switch from poverty to wealth or extreme danger to safety. Three acts are usually used in melodramas. Suspense also plays a big role in these shows, increasing with each action of the antagonist. The evil is punished and the good is rewarded. Most often a happy ending is used as the resolution to melodramas.

http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/melodrama.htm

http://www.cvrperformingarts.com/drama/Theatre_history/Melodrama/Melodrama_facts.htm

http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/spd130et/melodrama.htm

18th-19th Century Theatre Life

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, actors were viewed as outcasts. Their profession was thought to be sinful and many were excluded from the social society. However, when the mid-1800’s rolled around the view of actors and actresses had greatly improved. They were beginning to be seen as “prominent persons in society”. But their work life was not as sweet as their new social acceptance. The Work schedule was extremely grueling requiring constant focus, unlimited energy, mental strength, physical strength, and extreme dedication. Some actors rehearsed up to three shows a day along with preparing for the night’s performance. A single season could consist of anywhere from 40 to 130 shows, which could change daily. Professionals were expected to learn multiple parts at once. Actors in a company might have been prepared for up to 100 roles at any given time, and most were expected to learn a part within two days. The salaries of working actors varied according to their roles. Beginners earned about $3 to $6 per week while lead actors earned $35 to $100 per week. These were the average salaries during the antebellum period, and aside from the beginner’s they were considered generally good pay.


http://content.lib.washington.edu/19thcenturyactorsweb/essay.html

19th Century Theatrical Lighting

A breakthrough in the technology of theatrical lighting occurred in the 19th century. This new lighting technique based on gas originated in England in 1804. William Murdock developed the lighting technique which used coal gas to produce better and stronger light. The first use of gas light, however, was used only to light the entrance of the Lyceum Theatre in London where it made its first public debut. It wasn’t until 1815 that the Olympic Theatre first used gas lighting on stage. The use of gas lighting on stage allowed brighter light to be projected from greater distances as well as from different angles. The new technology also allowed stage lights to be dimmed. Footlights, winglights, and borderlights were a few of the new types of gaslighting instruments used. Gas lighting soon became popular in American theatres as well. The lighting technique was used in The Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia as early as 1816. The Chestnut Street Theatre soon burned down as a result of a gas lighting mishap in 1820, but the new and improved method of illuminating the stage continued to gain popularity throughout theatres in Boston, New Orleans, Baltimore, and many other cities across the country.


http://www.stage-lighting-museum.com/museum/html/history-4/history-4-text.html