The Cambridge History of American Theatre: Volume I: Beginnings to 1870

The first multi-volume history of the American theater to have been published, The Cambridge History of American Theatre is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theater in all its dimensions. It 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 theater and drama. Like each of the three volumes, Volume One includes an extensive overview and timeline followed by chapters on specific aspects of American theater up to c. 1870. The Cambridge History of American Theatre is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theatre in all its dimensions, from theatre building to playwriting, directors, performers, 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. The History approaches its subject with a full awareness of relevant developments in literary criticism, cultural analysis, and performance theory. At the same time, it is designed to be an accessible, challenging narrative. All volumes include an extensive overview and timeline, followed by chapters on specific aspects of theatre.Volume I 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. 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......Page 1 Contents......Page 7 List of Illustrations......Page 9 Contributors......Page 11 Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 15 Introduction......Page 19 Timeline: Beginnings to 1870......Page 38 1 American Theatre in Context, from the Beginnings to 1870......Page 129 2 Structure and Management in the American Theatre from the Beginning to 1870......Page 200 3 The Plays and Playwrights......Page 234 Plays and Playwrights: 1800-1865......Page 268 4 The Actors......Page 321 The Emergence of the American Actor......Page 356 5 Scenography, Stagecraft, and Architecture in the American Theatre......Page 391 6 Paratheatricals and Popular Stage Entertainment......Page 442 Bibliography......Page 501 This is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theatre in all its dimensions - from theatre buildings to playwriting, directors and designers - during the period from the end of the Civil War to the end of WW2 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.