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William Warren's Financial Arrangements with Traveling Stars—1805–1829

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2010

Extract

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the major American theatre companies in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston relied little on the use of traveling stars. The theatres played a nightly change of bill, three or four nights each week; and the plays were performed almost entirely by the resident stock company. However, by the 1830's the regular use of traveling stars was firmly established. In later years the stars and the starring system were often blamed for the decline of the stock companies, the failure of theatrical managements, and a general deterioration of the theatre.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © American Society for Theatre Research 1965

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References

NOTES

1 Charles Durang, The Philadelphia Stage from the Year 1749 to the Year 1855, a series of articles published in the Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch between 1854 and 1860. The University of Pennsylvania holds a seven volume scrapbook of them, arranged by Thompson Westcott; I have used the University of Illinois' microfilm copy of the scrapbook. Series II, Vol. II, Chapter 29, p. 225.

2 McKenzie, Ruth H., “Organization, Production, and Management at the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, from 1791 to 1820” (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Stanford University), p. 187.Google Scholar

3 Durang, I, II, 74, 158.

4 Ibid., I, I, 30, 59.

5 “Growler Gruff Esquire,” The Cynick, I (November 16, 1811), 141.

6 Durang, I, II, 70, 151.

7 Wood, William B., Personal Recollections of the Stage (Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird, 1855), p. 440.Google Scholar

8 The Diary of William Warren, kept from September 9, 1796, to December 6, 1831. The Diary is located at Howard University, Washington, D. C. I have used a microfilm copy held by the University of Illinois. The above reference is to February 5–19, 1821.

9 Durang, II, II, 28, 221.

10 Wood, , Recollections, p. 351.Google Scholar

11 Warren, January 20, 1806, and December 12, 1806.

12 Ibid., December 22, 1809.

13 Ibid., May 3, 1805.

14 Ibid., March 30, 1811.

15 Ibid., March 13, and March 16, 1816.

16 Ibid., October 2, 1813.

17 Ibid., February 15, 1816.

18 Ibid., October 28, 1807.

19 Ibid., October 7, 1811, and May 9, 1812.

20 Ibid., June 27, 1826.

21 Ibid., July 23, 1827.

22 Ibid., April 25, 1828.

23 Ibid., February 13, and May 15, 1821.

24 Ibid., April 29, 1823.

25 Ibid., April 30, 1811.