Nineteenth-Century American Women Theatre Managers

by Jane K. Curry

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313291418
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/21/1994
Series:	Contributions in Women's Studies , #14
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

JANE KATHLEEN CURRY is Assistant Professor of Theater at Wake Forest University. Her books include Nineteenth-Century American Women Theater Managers (Greenwood, 1994).

Table of Contents

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