Theater in the

th
19 Century
Origins of American
Theatre in the 19th
Century.
 Early History
• The birth of professional theater in America
may have begun with the Lewis Hallman
troupe that arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia,
in 1752.
• The Hallams were the first to organize a
complete company of actors in Europe and
bring them to the colonies in New England.
They brought a repertoire of plays popular in
London at the time. Encountering opposition
from religious organizations, Hallam and his
company left for Jamaica in 1754 or 1755.
• In the 18th century, laws forbidding the
performance of plays were passed in
Massachusetts in 1750, in Pennsylvania in
1759, and in Rhode Island in 1761, and plays
were banned in most states during the
 Cultural Background
• Due to the Industrial Revolution, many classes
of people moved into the cities and theater
began to change.
• New forms of theater were created for these
working people such as Vaudeville (acts like
song-and-dance routines), Burlesque (dramatic
works that make a subject appear ridiculous),
and the melodrama (the exaggeration of
charters in conflict-heroine/hero vs. the villain)
• The 1828 election of Andrew Jackson as
President of the United States fueled the spirit
of nationalism that had been growing in the
country.
• Hallmarks of the nationalistic movement were
 The Change in the 19th
Century Theatre
• Theater became enormously popular
and attracted a more genteel and
wealthy audience.
• American writers began to showcase
social concerns, and actors and
actresses enjoyed a new-found status
as respected members of society. The
last half of the 19th century marked
significant changes in American theater.
• By the last decades of the 19th century,
audiences were getting tired of revivals
Theatre and Tech Aspects
• In 1820, candles and oil lamps were replaced by
gas lights in many 19th century theaters. The
opening of the Savoy Theater in London, 1881,
was the first stage lit by electricity. The plays of
Shakespeare were being performed. And there
was more emphasis on the spectacle rather
than the spoken word
• The emphasis on re-creating natural
environments onstage was influenced by
romanticism, which called for a "return to
nature.
• The technology of the industrial revolution was
applied to Theatre .The popularity of
melodrama, with its emphasis on stage
spectacle and special effects accelerated these
• Theaters were more up to date and were
created with better things like fake plants and
better props that made the whole experience
more worthwhile. They were much larger in
size; therefore a huge size necessitated slower,
more demonstrative acting technique. But there
was less audience involvement due to the large
distance from the stage
• By the end of the 19th century, the process of
scenic design and construction had become
standardized. The director gave the
requirements to the scenic designer, who made
cardboard models. The scenery was constructed
by the theatre’s carpenters and then sent to a
scenic studio for painting.
• In 1817, gas light as well as footlights (using
lime), was introduced to the theatre. The
Auditorium now remained in darkness during