Nineteenth-Century American Women Theatre Managers

Jane K. Curry

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 1994
• ISBN:
  9780313031090
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Theatre

Many women held positions of great responsibility and power in the United States during the 19th century as theatre managers: managing stock companies, owning or leasing theatres, hiring actors and other personnel, selecting plays for production, directing rehearsals, supervising all production details, and promoting their dramatic offerings. Competing in risky business ventures, these women were remarkable for defying societal norms that restricted career opportunities for women. The activities of more than 50 such women are discussed in Nineteenth-Century American Women Theatre Managers, beginning with an account of 15 pioneering women managers who were all managing theatres before 24 December 1853, when Catherine Sinclair, often incorrectly identified as the first woman theatre manager in the United States, opened her theatre in San Francisco.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. The Pioneers–Early Nineteenth-Century Women Theatre Managers in the United States
• 2. Women Theatre Managers of the California Gold Rush
• 3. Laura Keene–First-Class Theatre Manager in New York City
• 4. Mrs. John Drew and Other Women Theatre Managers in Philadelphia
• 5. After Keene–More Women Theatre Managers in New York City and Brooklyn
• 6. Beyond the Theatrical Centers–Later Nineteenth-Century Women Theatre Managers throughout the United States
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index