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American Theater
Beg, borrow, and steal
The Puritans were so much fun…
• Under strict Puritanical control for much of
their youth, theatrical performances in the
American colonies were outlawed.
• Viewing dramatic or comic plays was thought
to influence the behaviour of the young and
lead to maliciousness.
• When actors persisted despite strict laws,
audiences were fined for viewing the devilish
acts.
• In the early to mid 1700s, things started to
change.
• Tantalizing stories of the glamour of the English
theatre arrived with each docking ship.
• As rebellious attitudes against England grew, so
did the acceptance of new ideas.
• Subsequently, many amateur plays were
produced, likely in courthouses or coffeehouses,
though virtually no documentation exists.
Freedom!
• When the people won their freedom from
Britain, American theatre was born.
• There were few original American-written
plays at the time.
• The tried and true works of Shakespeare and
other British writers became the staple of
local actors.
• The first American theatre was built in
Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1716, but its
existence was brief.
• The mortgage was foreclosed in 1723. It was
later used to produce amateur college
performances.
• The first American theatre was built in
Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1716, but its
existence was brief.
• The mortgage was foreclosed in 1723. It was
later used to produce amateur college
performances.
Early Days
• Travelling in family groups was easy and
inexpensive for early American actors.
• Each family member had a special trade and
several stock roles.
• Actors outside the families married into these
groups and new theatre families were
produced.
• Children acted at an early age, and gravitated
naturally toward acting careers.
Famous Names
• A famous early American theatre family was
the Barrymores. They bridged the gap
between early American theatre and modern
film.
• Irish actor John Drew travelled to the states in
1846. He married actress Louise Lane and
they had three children.
• Their daughter Georgiana married Irish actor
Maurice Barrymore.
• Their famous children, Lionel, Ethel and John
Barrymore became some of the stage’s
household names.
Drew Barrymore
• Even as it grew, American theatre lacked its
own identity.
• Companies capitalized on European plays until
the early 20th century when writers like
Eugene O’Neill ( Mourning Becomes Electra,
Long Day’s Journey Into Night ), Tennessee
Williams ( A Streetcar Named Desire ), and
Arthur Miller ( Death of a Salesman )
appeared.
Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)
• Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19,
1930, in Chicago, Illinois. She wrote A Raisin in
the Sun, a play about a struggling black family,
which opened on Broadway to great success.
• Hansberry was the first black playwright and
the youngest American to win a New York
Critics’ Circle award. Throughout her life she
was heavily involved in civil rights. She died at
34 of pancreatic cancer.