The theatre had a difficult time establishing itself in
Massachusetts. Colonial authorities in Boston were adamantly
opposed to theatrical amusements of any kind. In the mid-eighteenth
century, even theatricals performed in the homes of private
citizens aroused the indignant ire of puritanically minded
authorities. In 1750 the General Court of Massachusetts passed an
act prohibiting stage plays or any other theatrical entertainment.
In 1762, the New Hampshire House of Representatives refused a
theatre troupe admission to the town of Portsmouth on the ground
that plays had a 'peculiar influence on the minds of young people
and greatly endangered their morals by giving them a taste for
intriguing amusement and pleasure.'The first public dramatic
performance in Boston was produced at a coffeehouse on State Street
by two English actors and some local volunteers. In 1775 General
John Burgoyne, himself an actor and playwright, converted Boston's
Faneuil Hall into a theatre, where he presented, among other
pieces, ""The Blockade of Boston"". After the Revolutionary War, in
February 1794, the dramatic history of Boston may be said to have
begun with the opening of the Boston Theatre.The history of Boston
theatres from the eighteenth century through the present is covered
in this well illustrated work. Although the theatre had a somewhat
rocky beginning, by 1841 more than 15 theatre houses - including
the Boston Theatre, Concert Hall, Merchants Hall, Boylston Hall,
the Washington Gardens Amphitheatre, the Tremont Theatre, the
Washington Theatre, the American Amphitheatre, the Federal Street
Theatre, Mr. Saubert's Theatre, the Lion Theatre, the National
Theatre (which boasted gas lighting), and the Howard Athenaeum -
were all established.After these first theatres paved the way and
puritanical restraint had been overcome, the public's enthusiasm
for varied entertainment prevailed and theatres proliferated in the
city. This book details the long and storied history of Boston
theatre construction, alteration, restoration, and, in many cases,
destruction. Information is also provided about building
architecture, types of performances, ticket prices and other
interesting data about each theatre's history.
General
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