The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Vol. 1: Beginnings to 1870 1

Vol. I: Beginnings to 1870 Volume One deals with the colonial inceptions of American theatre through the post-Civil War period: the European antecedents, the New World influences of the French and Spanish colonists, and the development of uniquely American traditions in tandem with the emergence of national identity. Vol. II: 1870–1945 Volume Two of the authoritative, multi-volume Cambridge History of American Theatre begins in the post-Civil War period and traces the development of American theatre up to 1945. It covers all aspects of theatre from plays and playwrights, through actors and acting, to theatre groups and directors. Topics examined include vaudeville and popular entertainment, European influences, theatre in and beyond New York, the rise of the Little Theatre movement, changing audiences, modernism, the Federal Theatre movement, scenography, stagecraft, and architecture. Contextualising chapters explore the role of theatre within the context of American social and cultural history, and the role of American theatre in relation to theatre in Europe and beyond. This definitive history of American theatre includes contributions from the following distinguished academics - Thomas Postlewait, John Frick, Tice L. Miller, Ronald Wainscott, Brenda Murphy, Mark Fearnow, Brooks McNamara, Thomas Riis, Daniel J. Watermeier, Mary C. Henderson, and Warren Kliewer. Vol. III: Post-World War II to the 1990s Volume 3 of this authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theater examines the theater after World War II, through Broadway and beyond, as well as regional theater across the country. Contributors also analyze new directions in theater design, directing, and acting, as well as key plays and playwrights through the 1990s. The first multi-volume history of the American theatre to have been published, The Cambridge History of American Theatre is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theatre in all its dimensions from theatre buildings to playwriting, directors, and designers. Engaging the theatre as a performance art, a cultural institution, and a fact of American social and political life, the History, recognizes changing styles of presentation and performance, and addresses the economic context that conditions the drama presented. Volume One brings together the work of ten major authorities on American theatre and drama. Like each of the three volumes, volume one includes an extensive overview and timeline followed by chapters on specific aspects of American theatre up to c. 1870. The American Society for Theatre Research has awarded the Barnard Hewitt Award for Outstanding Research to The Cambridge History of American Theatre, Volume 1 The Cambridge History of American Theatre - Volume One: Beginnings to 1870 2 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Contributors 12 Preface and Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 20 Timeline: Beginnings to 1870 39 1 American Theatre in Context, from the Beginnings to 1870 130 2 Structure and Management in the American Theatre from the Beginning to 1870 201 3 The Plays and Playwrights 235 Plays and Playwrights: 1800-1865 269 4 The Actors 322 The Emergence of the American Actor 357 5 Scenography, Stagecraft, and Architecture in the American Theatre 392 6 Paratheatricals and Popular Stage Entertainment 443 Bibliography 502 This is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theatre in all its dimensions - from theatre buildings to playwriting, directors and designers - from the post-WW2 period up to the 1990s

Volume One of a unique three-volume history covering all aspects of American theatre.

v. 1. Beginnings to 1870 v. 2. 1870-1945 v. 3. Post-World War II to the 1990s.