Thomas Godfrey’s The Prince of Parthia

Thomas Godfrey, son of inventor Thomas Godfrey (1704-1749), was a prominent playwright in 18th century America. Godfrey grew up in Pennsylvania, and he was a member of Benjamin Franklin’s Junto Club (a self-appointed committee that usually has political goals). As strong writer, he was known throughout Pennsylvania by literary groups. Godfrey was also good friends with the poet Nathaniel Evans and college provost William Smith. In hopes of entering business, Godfrey left Pennsylvania in 1758 for Wilmington, North Carolina. A prominent poet, Godfrey wrote The Court of Fancy, a long poem that was published in 1762. Throughout his life he also published smaller pieces in local magazines. His biggest accomplishment came when his blank-verse (written in iambic pentameter without rhyme) play titled The Prince of Parthia was published in 1765. The Prince of Parthia, a tragedy, became famous as the first tragedy written by an American to be produced and performed on an American stage. The show was performed by a professional cast of actors at the Southwark Theatre in Philadelphia on April 24, 1767. Godfrey’s play was considered “a noble beginning of dramatic literature in America.”


http://proquest.com/assets/literature/products/databases/american_drama.pdf

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/thomas_godfrey/biography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_of_Parthia

Early American Scene and Set Design

There are not many published works on early American theatrical scenery, so not much is known it. It is assumed that American theatre companies used a so called “wing and shutter” system for scenery. This popular European technique consisted of flat, painted wings and shutters which could be moved on and off the stage. It is believed that Lewis Hallam brought the first complex settings and scenery to America from England; scenery that is believed to have been used at London’s Goodman’s Fields Theatre. A short while later, most American playhouses had the five following settings: a rich interior, a simple interior, a woodland, a garden, and a street. Charles Ciceri was one of the first major set designers. Trained in Europe, Ciceri came to Philadelphia and brought with him “the first transparent scrim”. It is also believed that in John Daly Burk’s Bunker Hill was the first “architecturally conceived scenery” used. In this production, the hill was “raised gradually by boards extended from the stage”. Although he was born in England, Joseph Holland, who worked mainly with New York’s Park Theatre, was credited with being the first American set designer who tried to show historical accuracy in scene and set work. After Holland’s death, his idea became largely popular because of a realism movement. A new contraption called a box-set was invented. This gave the audience the feeling that they were looking at a room “from an invisible fourth wall”. Although not much was documented, a lot of stunning information has been inferred about the scene and set design of early American theatre.

http://www.answers.com/topic/scene-and-lighting-design-in-american-theatre

Early Theatrical Costumes

Early theater had strong aspects of acting, directing, lighting, and set design to name a few. But perhaps the most visually important and interesting aspect of the theatre was costumes. Huge amounts of money were poured into costuming. Today, most clothes are made from cotton, but in the early centuries the advantage of this material wasn’t available. It was rare and expensive, so most clothes were made from linen and wool. The upper class costumes were often made from precious materials such as satin, velvet, or silk. The costumes in tragic shows were often more lavish than those of comedies. Coloring costumes was a difficult and tedious process. Artificial dyes were not available in early theatrics, so in order to get certain colors they had to be taken from insects. For instance, in order to dye a garment purple, the color had to be created by crushing sea snails. Although the costumes varied with the shows, typical items were used by men and woman in multiple performances. Women often wore tight corsets, petticoats, skirts, and gowns. Men wore pants, boots, vests, and hats which varied according to status. In early theatre woman were not allowed to act, so masks were often used by men playing female roles. They also aided in increasing the voice of the actors. Makeup of the time often consisted of a white base with red lipstick, but it varied by show, part, and theatre.

http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/early_theater/costume.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/380883/theatrical_costumes_throughout_history_pg6.html?cat=2

Early Theatre Is Remembered In Modern Time: Booth Theatre

The first Booth Theatre was built by 18th century actor Edwin Booth in the year 1869. It stood at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in New York City. Edwin was widely known for being the brother of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, but also managed to break from this shadow and be remembered for his talent as an actor. He decided to build his own theatre after the theatre in which he regularly performed, The Winter Garden Theatre, was tragically burned down. Booth opened his theatre with an extremely successful production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in which he played Romeo. Unfortunately, the theatre only lasted five years before Booth filed for bankruptcy, and ironically the closing performance was the same as the opening. Many years later Edwin Booth’s memory lived on when a new theatre was built in his name. The second Booth Theatre was built in 1913 by Lee Shubert and Winthrop Ames. Ames’s father was a fan of Edwin Booth’s acting and wished to preserve his name by having the new theatre built in his honor. The Booth Theatre still stands today on West 45th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City. It has been home to many famous Broadway musicals and plays. Currently, the Booth Theatre is occupied by eight performances a week of the Tony award winning Broadway musical Next to Normal.


http://www.shubertorganization.com/theatres/booth.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booth's_Theatre