The richness of Victorian theatre has often been neglected because of the era's most celebrated productions of Shakespeare's plays. Judith L. Fisher and Stephen Watt present a vigorous collection of eighteen essays covering the vast expanse of this "other" theatre, including social dramas, Christmas pantomimes, and adaptations of Gothic novels such as "Guy Mannering" and "Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags."
Reflecting both the longings and values of the public and the theatrical conventions of the times, Victorian productions could capture audiences with the historical verisimilitude of William Charles Macready's production of "Richelieu "or incite a storm of public outrage with the too explicitly fallen woman in Olga Nethersole's interpretation of "Sapho." Playwrights worked at adapting such popular classic works as "The Count of Monte Cristo" or devising new melodramas such as "Rent Day" and "Luke the Labourer." Pandering to the tastes of an expanding middle-class audience, theatre bills reflected popular fascination with the daily newspapers' stories of social maladies. Transposed to the stage, "bad" men and women could be punished for wrongdoings in a way that was unlikely or impossible in real life. Emphasizing the variety of stagecraft in the Victorian age, the contributors to "When They Weren't Doing Shakespeare" present a composite portrait of the vibrant theatrical worlds that existed in both nineteenth-century New York and London.

This book focuses on the economic and social forces which shaped American theatre throughout its 250-year history. The collection of essays, written by leading theatre historians and critics of the American theatre, represent a variety of methodologies and approaches, and reflect the disparity and diversity of the social and economic issues which have moulded the cultural heritage of America. Arranged chronologically, the volume explores such topics as anti-theatrical legislation in Colonial America; the theatre's response to slavery, prostitution, alcoholism and women's rights; the significance of black American musical comedy; women managers in nineteenth-century American theatre; economic welfare in the Federal Theatre Project; theatre nostalgia during the Reagan era; and issues of multiculturalism in theatre. Alone or as a collection, the essays will stimulate discussions concerning the traditionally held views of America's theatrical heritage.

This is the first book to focus on the economic and social forces that shaped American theater throughout its two hundred and fifty year history. The collection of essays, written by leading theater historians and critics of American theater, represent a variety of methodologies and approaches. Arranged chronologically, the volume explores such topics as anti-theatrical legislation in Colonial America; the theater's response to slavery, prostitution, alcoholism, and women's rights; the significance of Black American musical comedy; women managers in nineteenth-century American theater; economic welfare in the Federal Theater Project; theater nostalgia during the Reagan era; and contemporary issues of multiculturalism in today's theater. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of American theater and social and cultural history.

As America passed from a mere venue for English plays into a country with its own nationally regarded playwrights, William Dunlap lived the life of a pioneer on the frontier of the fledgling American theatre, full of adventures, mishaps, and close calls. He adapted and translated plays for the American audience and wrote plays of his own as well, learning how theatres and theatre companies operated from the inside out. Dunlap's masterpiece, A History of American Theatre was the first of its kind, drawing on the author's own experiences. In it, he describes the development of theatre in New York, Philadelphia, and South Carolina as well as Congress's first attempts at theatrical censorship. Never before previously indexed, this edition also includes a new introduction by Tice L. Miller. William Dunlap (1766-1839) was a playwright, adapter, and producer. He was a partner in William Hallam's American Company-the first theatrical company in the United States-and a founder of the National Academy of Design. Tice L. Miller is a professor of theatre arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Guide to American Theatre.