Live Theater Growing Pains

By Kathy Kovach

By the turn of 19th century, British influence had been suppressed in colonial America thanks to the American Revolution. The new nation was free to create its own identity, and live theater accepted the challenge. Some hotspots, of course, still remained, most notably the Astor Place Riot that occurred in New York City on May 10, 1849. More on that later.

In 1832, William Dunlap, known as “The Father of American Drama”, characterized theater as a powerful engine.

“No arts can be made more effectual for the promotion of good than the dramatic and the histrionic. They unite music, poetry, painting, and eloquence. The engine is powerful for good or ill—it is for society to choose.”

Even though some southern states had already embraced live theater, three northern cities became the nerve center: Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.

Boston’s growing pains didn’t stem from British prejudice, but from Puritan resistance. Heavy hitters such as John Hancock and Sam Adams contributed to the religious, as well as artistic, suppression.

Poster of The Boston Museum, circa 1847

However, creativity cannot be squelched. Theaters were masked under names such as Exhibition Hall and Boston Museum. A comedic play, The Contrast, was billed as “a moral lecture in five parts” according to an advertisement in Boston’s Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advisor (October 18, 1792).

Beginning in the late 1700s, Philadelphia claimed to have been the center of theater entertainment until New York commanded the stage after the 1830s. In the 19th century alone, Philadelphia built over 100 theaters. The Chestnut Street Theatre, first opened in 1794 with a capacity of entertaining 2,000 patrons. In comparison, the Gershwin Theatre in New York is considered the largest on Broadway and holds 1,933 seats. The Chestnut Street Theatre was also the first in America to be lit by gaslight.

The Arch Street Theatre opened on October 1, 1828 and boasted a magnificent 108-year run. The notoriously infamous John Wilkes Booth joined the stock company there in 1857.

Louisa Lane Drew as Ophelia c. 1840-48

The Arch was the first theater to employ a female manager. In 1860, stockholders suggested veteran actress Louisa Lane Drew replace her husband, John Drew, due to his mismanagement for ten years. It thrived under her watchful eye until her retirement in 1892.

Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore, c. 1904

Drew Barrymore, 2014

Born into a performing family, Louisa Drew started acting as a child. The genes must have been strong as she went on to become the grandmother of Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore. Establishing herself as the matriarchal ancestor to the famous Barrymore-Drew acting family, spanning four centuries.

New York City live theater started small. The first appeared on Nassau Street in 1732. Nearly twenty years later, the New York Theatre became the first to present a musical in 1750.

Bowery Theatre

Park Theatre

Opening in 1826, the Bowery Theatre, located on the rowdy lower east side of Manhattan, became popular. Audiences there were known to disrupt performances, going as far as throwing projectiles. Their polar opposite competition, the elite Park Theatre, was located in what is now the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan. They catered to imported British actors, presenting Shakespeare.

Astor Place Riot

In 1847, the Astor Place Theatre, located in lower Manhattan, had been built to attract the upper crust of society. European entertainment fit their bill. A dress code was implemented, insisting on “freshly shaven faces, evening dress, and kid gloves”. While attempting to establish an air of refinement, no one could envision the tragedy that would ensue less than two years after its opening.

Yes, the Revolutionary War had helped America to establish its own identity, and yes, much of the British influence had been suppressed, but not eradicated. Sixty-four years after the war, pockets of loyalists remained on both sides.

William Charles Macready

Edwin Forrest

Enter William Charles Macready, a renowned British thespian, and Edwin Forrest an equally loved American actor having established himself at the Bowery Theatre. Both performed notable Shakespearean characters. Both were accomplished in their art.

Astor Place Riot

On the surface, the Astor Place Riot may have looked like a rivalry between the two men and their supporters, Macready’s fans preferring the gentility of the British style, and Forrest’s championing his robust, athletic technique. Forrest exacerbated the feud by hissing at Macready from a private box seat in the audience during a performance of Hamlet in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was in retaliation of the European audience doing the same to him while delivering his interpretation of Macbeth, of which his style of acting was unsuited.

In a plot twist, once Isaiah Rynders became involved, things got ugly.

Hollywood actor Edward G. Robinson as a mob boss

Isaiah Rynders was an underworld figure (I read that as gangster) who was known for organizing election fraud and participating in voter intimidation. When Macready performed Macbeth at the Astor Place Theatre on May 7, 1849, three days before the riot, Rynders stirred up the audience, encouraging them to throw things and be disruptive. On May 10, he went too far, and in an attempt to make a point against the British, he handed out handbills and free tickets throughout saloons and various places in the city, inviting patriots to Macready’s next performance in order to demonstrate their feelings about the British.

When the play opened that evening, 10,000 people lined the streets. The riot broke out and vegetables and shoes were replaced with stones. Some attempted to set fire to the building.

The militia was called in, as were the police. In all, 600 soldiers and law enforcement personnel fought against angry civilians answering Rynders’s question: “Shall Americans or English rule this city?”

In the end, nearly two dozen rioters were killed and forty-eight were injured. The militia and policemen also suffered wounds. The theater never was the same, and ended up closing after the next season. Edwin Forrest’s reputation took a hit, as well, because some still saw it as one rival actor attacking another.

Whether this tragedy opened people’s eyes, or the stigma of British rule simply faded, I’m not certain, but at some point in American theater’s four-decade history, things have settled down.

To finish on a happy note, who’s up for musical theater?

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website

Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook

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How Live Theater Shaped A Nation

By Kathy Kovach

It took some doing to convince Americans that theater had a place here. Between religious objections, and the attempt to sever all British ties by the Continental Congress in 1774, live theater almost died a painful, melodramatic death on our shores.

America’s only established theater troupe, The Great American Company, had been forced to flee to Jamaica. However, thanks to the manager’s persistence, it returned in 1784 following the end of the American Revolutionary War. One of the cities that had encouraged theater prewar, Charleston, South Carolina, embraced it with open arms.

Ironically, what we consider the hub of live theater today, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, rejected efforts to bring live theater into their communities. These, and other cities, enacted bans, going as far as to arrest anyone involved in theater. Including the patrons themselves.

By the end of the 18th Century, economic and cultural reforms began to take hold of the nation. New men were in power, and many believed live theater could promote nationalism and patriotism. Beautiful new playhouses with red velvet curtains and crystal chandeliers popped up in communities where powerful people could connect. Not only plays were performed there, but the elite enjoyed other social activities, as well.

At least, that was the hope.

It soon became evident that British influence was still unwelcome, and its plays were no exception. Dissenting political views disrupted the elegance that the theater managers wished to promote.

William Dunlap
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Dunlap_Engraving.jpg

One such disruption was a riot that took place on March 30, 1798 between the Federalist and Republican factions in attendance. The play, André by William Dunlap, took place in New York’s Park Theatre.

Before explaining what happened, it’s important to note this about playwright, actor, and producer William Dunlap. Although he was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1766, that city was located in one of the colonies owned by the British Empire at the time. His father was Northern Irish and was wounded at the Battle of Quebec in 1759. In other words, he was an American born under British influence.

The play, André, is about the real person, Major John André, a British spy hanged for his role in the treason of Benedict Arnold.

So now, we have a playhouse full of American patriots of two different factions in post-war New York, watching a play about a British officer who had been executed by George Washington, written by an American with British ties. What could go wrong?

Tricorn hat with cockade

The riot sparked when an American character in the play, named Bland, is furious with Washington and rips off the black cockade from his three-cornered hat (a Federalist symbol) and throws it away. How dare he dishonor America! As a result of this theater revolt, Dunlap was forced to revise the ending.

So, how did William Dunlap come to be known as the Father of American Drama? He became devoted to the shaping of American theater, writing more than fifty original scripts, translations, and adaptations. Besides his management of New York’s John Street and Park Theatres at the turn of the century, he also wrote A History of the American Theatre in 1832. He turned out to be an advocate of shunning the old European system and encouraged the practice of allowing artists freedom of expression and thought.

Dunlap was one of the first to believe that theater could transform the new nation, teaching lessons of “patriotism, virtue, morality, and religion.”

Eventually, thanks to William Dunlap and others, by the early half of the 19th century, America, along with the American theater, was well on the journey of establishing its own identity.

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website
Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook

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Coming to America - Live Theater

By Kathy Kovach

Storytelling is as old as time. It’s how God wired us. I’m sure Moses sat near the fire, regaling the Israelites with stories about his ancestors. “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,” (Psalms 78:2, ASV.)

Centuries later, Jesus took principles and made them into relatable stories that he orally taught to those gathered. “Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,” (Matthew 13:35, WEB.)

The ancient Greeks and Egyptians honed storytelling to an art. They were so successful that their blueprint stood the test of time. Entire nations were influenced, none more so than Great Britain.

From there, it was only a matter of time before it would hop the pond.

In 1510, European theater made it to Puerto Rico, giving the island the honor of becoming the first to hold refined performances in the Americas.

In the 16th century, theater moved north, and plays were performed in the Spanish-held territories that eventually became the United States. In what is now known as Louisiana, several performances took place on October 12, 1721. The town of Los Adaes celebrated the arrival of the Spanish governor, the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo. This cultural event brought the people together to solidify Spanish control after a time of uncertainty.

Hamlet and his mother

By the early 18th century, two theaters had been built in Williamsburg, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina. However, it wasn’t until the British actor and theater manager Lewis Hallam brought his theatrical company to Williamsburg in 1752 that the first complete company of actors was organized. The Hallam Company performed the top European plays at the time—Hamlet, Othello, and Richard III  to name a few. Their first, Merchant of Venice, was performed on September 15, 1752. Unfortunately, they encountered opposition from religious organizations and moved the operation to Jamaica around 1755.

English actor David Douglass met Hallam in Jamaica. After Hallam’s death, Douglass married his widow, actress and theater director Sarah Hallam. The two traveled with the company, now known as the American Company, to Philadelphia where they opened the Southwark Theatre in 1766. This was considered the first permanent theater in America. On a roll, they also built the John Street Theater in 1767, modeling it after Southwark. There, the first American-written play, The Prince of Parthia by poet Thomas Godfrey, was performed in that same year.

Quakers

American Colonial era theater suffered the same opposition as England had during its turbulent times. Those in Puritan and Quaker regions felt it was frivolous and often sacrilegious. Others opposed any British influence, as most of the plays had come from there. Massachusetts in 1750, Pennsylvania in 1759, and Rhode Island in 1761 all banned theater performances. Most of the states followed during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) thanks to the Continental Congress.

It was difficult to come back from such prejudices. In 1794, Yale College president, Timothy Dwight IV, wrote the following in Essay on Theatre:

". . . to indulge a taste for playgoing means nothing more or less than the loss of that most valuable treasure: the immortal soul."

Yikes!

Encampment at Valley Forge

Despite the congressional ban, George Washington himself recognized the importance of entertainment as a distraction. He asked for his favorite play, Cato, set during the Roman Civil War, to be performed for the troops after the harsh winter at Valley Forge.

The storytelling seed has been planted deep within all of us. Its branches weave through time, barrel over social status, and travel across continents.

Welcome to America, Live Theater!

 

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website
Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook

X

Goodreads

The Strange Traditions of Live Theater

The Strange Traditions of Live Theater

By Kathy Kovach

Whenever creatives get together, one can expect imaginations to collide, creating a burst of prismatic color. This is my explanation for the wild and beautiful traditions that have sprung from live theater.

Such as, you can never say the name “Macbeth”, but you can wish someone to “break a leg.” Never ever whistle, but bad dress rehearsals are encouraged. Let’s enter the stage—with the right foot only, please—and explore the origins of theater traditions and so-called superstitions.

The big no-no that is widely accepted is to never say the name “Macbeth” inside the theater. It is only to be referred to as “The Scottish Play” or “The Bard’s Play.” So powerful was Shakespeare’s authoring of the tale, that it’s believed the spells the three witches invoked actually cursed the play itself. Could this really be the reason for the multiple mishaps over the years? Such as nearly losing the beloved actor Lawrence Olivier in 1937 when some stage weights narrowly missed him. Or, in 1942, when three performers died during the play’s run at the Piccadilly Theater in London.

Was it really a curse, or would these things have happened regardless of a slip of the tongue? Those who are a slave to superstition have a simple remedy. If the name “Macbeth” is invoked, one need only to step outside of the theater, turn around three times, spit, curse, and knock three times on the stage door. Whew! Who knew disaster could be avoided by doing a bizarre version of the Hokey-Pokey?

What about the “no whistling” rule? Was that the result of the underworld playing cruel games? Not at all. Sailors, while on leave, often worked backstage to earn extra money and used the same system while at sea to give instruction. I imagine the sound cut through the wind and waves easier than a voice. The “no whistling” rule didn’t apply to them, but to everyone else.

If someone decided to whistle a happy tune, it could, for instance, confuse the one waiting to drop a set, and thus cause injury. Therefore, the stagehands were the only ones allowed to whistle while they worked. (Sorry, it needed to be said.)

How often have you told a performer to “break a leg?” No one? Just me? Well, this tradition has a plethora of theories. Ancient Greek patrons would stomp their feet so hard in their enthusiasm that they would break their tibias. Another theory was that the space between the wings and the stage was called the “leg line.” Someone waiting in the wings to fill in for an injured actor would be instructed to “break” the line. The phrase “break a leg” was meant to wish for a performer the good fortune of being on stage.

Let’s talk flowers. How many times have you seen the leading lady clutching a bouquet to her breast and bowing as single roses are tossed at her feet? The tradition started when someone would steal flowers from a graveyard and present them to the director or actors at the final performance, thus representing the final curtain call, the death of the production. It morphed into the rule of only giving flowers after a show because it could be considered bad luck, causing the performance to go badly.

I don’t know how many times in my “performance” era—we’re talking school plays and church choir productions—that I’ve heard the encouraging words, “It will be okay. Bad dress rehearsal, good performance.” Where did that come from? No one knows the origin, but it makes sense. What are the odds that something would go off the rails two nights in a row? It’s better to make mistakes in an empty theater, where they can be fixed, than in front of a live audience.

You’ve seen it before. The single lamp, lit, sitting in the middle of the barren stage. (Again, just me?) This single bulb has the unfortunate moniker of Ghost Light. Some say that every theater is haunted, and the light gives the spirits the opportunity to enjoy the space without livings milling about. Others say it’s supposed to keep the specters away. Yet another theory is when the light goes out, the ghost will cause mischief. See how superstitions get skewed?

There are more practical reasons, however. Back when gas lights were used, the pressure on the gas valves needed to be relieved. I don’t know much about gas lamps, but I remember in historical movies the lamps on the wall always had a dim glow. My favorite source of the Ghost Light stems from a myth. It seems a thief had broken into some theater somewhere, stumbled around in the dark, and broke his leg. I’m thinking by falling in the orchestra pit. He then sued the theater for damages.

We’re always encouraged to put our best foot forward. In the theater world, that foot is the one on the right. Of course, that old “good luck/bad luck” thing has to infiltrate everything one does. However, it comes down to the right side being the dominant one for most people. In European culture, it’s said that the right side symbolizes righteousness—It’s right there in the name!—and correctness.

My favorite tradition of all is the time-honored serenading of the cast and crew singing Roy Roger’s “Happy Trails To You” after the final performance of the run and after the audience has filed out. The sweet farewell wishes those who gave their time to make the production successful a blessing and a fond adieu.

https://youtu.be/eEqUyNaSdvg?si=8JcfMm8xOp78RrjV

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website

Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook

X

Goodreads

The Attempted Drowning of Live Theater

By Kathy Kovach

Throughout the years since its inception, live theater has gone through its ups and downs. From exquisite performances, delightful to the literary ear, to irreverent political entertainment, offensive to the elite.

In an effort to control the narrative, the London Licensing Act of 1737 became the enforcer. It served to censor plays that parodied prominent figures, in particular Sir Robert Walpole, the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain (1721-1742).

Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London c1900

By the 19th century, only three patent theaters were approved through the Lord Chamberlain. For winter, Covent Garden and Drury Lane, and for the summer months, the Haymarket. Still under censorship, every play had to be approved. Three main areas were under scrutiny.

• Political themes: No parodying of government issues or political figures.

• Religious content: Nothing that challenged beliefs or morality.

• Social issues: Poverty, class struggles, and gender roles were often sanitized or omitted.

The office of Examiner of Plays was created in the early 1700s. This person was given immense power over the playwright and answered only to the Lord Chamberlain. The Examiner would visit theaters to evaluate their safety and comfort. He saw to it that the rules were followed to the letter. Often, he’d appear when a law case regarding licensing needed to be enforced. As of 1911, he was required to read plays, examine playbills, and write a Reader’s Report to be turned in to the Lord Chamberlain.

One notorious examiner, George Coleman, used excessive slashing of anything he personally deemed inappropriate. Because of his actions, the House of Commons appointed a select committee to review the licensing laws and censorship in 1823.

Novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton chaired the committee which moved to abolish censorship and remove the office of examiner. It was all for naught as Parliament rejected the motion. So firm was the ruling, that the Examiner and the authority of the Lord Chamberlain remained in power until the Theater Act of 1968, also known as the Theatres Regulation Bill, which abolished both roles.

Until then, the Lord Chamberlain’s wings were clipped somewhat, and he could only prohibit the performance of plays that were likely “to do violence to the sentiment of religious reverence”—in other words, to be indecent—or “to be calculated to conduce to crime or vice” *. Where before he had full autonomy, he would now occasionally consult the Archbishop of Canterbury. A copy of the play’s script and the Reader’s Report were held at the Lord Chamberlain’s office, and they are still housed by the British Library.

In all, between 1738 and 1968, there were a total of 21 Examiners of Plays.

Creative expression could not be curtailed, nor could the playwrights’ opinions. Unlicensed theaters popped up. They often escaped surveillance by performing in pantomime, using music during the action. Thus, melodrama became popular.

The Reform Bill of 1832 essentially gave the power back to the people, or the middle class. A new system was established called the Theaters Act of 1843. Now, “free theater” could explore what had been squelched before, breaking free of the patented theaters. However, the expected flood of new building didn’t happen for sixteen years. This was attributed to the plethora of illegal theaters already operating.

The creative heart had to fight to survive, nearly drowning in suppression. However, it fought valiantly and continued to bobble to the surface until it became the dramatic entertainment we enjoy today.


* Shellard, Dominic; Nicholson, Steve; Handley, Miriam (2004). The Lord Chamberlain regrets: a history of British theatre censorship (1. publ ed.). London: The British Library. ISBN 978-0-7123-4865-2.

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website
Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook

X

Goodreads

18th Century Live Theater

By Kathy Kovach

As one who enjoys live performances, from my dabbling in the acting world to watching my son perform in high school, college, and community theaters, I find the evolution of performance art fascinating.

Joey Kovach (on left) as King Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Okaloosa-Walton Community College, Valparaiso, FL, 1998

From the Greek and Roman influences, to the Renaissance, and on into the 1700s, live theater boomed in Europe during the 18th century. Only two theaters had been licensed in England during the reign of Charles II, but by the end of the 18th century, seven more had been added. Two were extended to accommodate three thousand people. The First Industrial Revolution contributed heavily to this growth as the population moved from the country into the growing urban areas, taking advantage of the manufacturing boom. As a result, they sought out cultural entertainment.

Enter the different styles of performance art.

The Misanthrope, a comedy in five acts by Moliere

The grandiose spectacle of Baroque Theater used special effects via elaborate stage machinery. The sets were intricate and ornate, the plots multi-layered and complex, with an overabundance of emotional intensity and dramatic tension. The monarch and aristocrats powered the Baroque engine, fueling it with their wealth to produce artistic and technical wonders reflective of the Age of Enlightenment.

You know what they say: If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it.

Teatro Palladiano, a neoclassical theatre in Vicenza

However, some did feel the need to fix it, and as the grandness of the theater wore out its welcome, a new movement, Neoclassicism, emerged. Going back to basics, it recalled, once again, the Greek and Roman models. Simple performances, scaled down designs, and a call back to reason and morality became the focus.

Melodrama took the simplicity of the Neoclassic drama and added intense emotion and exaggerated reactions. Music played a huge part in raising the heart rate of theater goers. Melodrama became the prototype for Hollywood movies in the infancy of film. The trope of the damsel in distress comes to mind, calling out for her hero while the dastardly villain ties her to the railroad tracks. Such intensity! But it worked. So much so, that from the early 1900s to today, nearly 500 films can be categorized with the Melodramatic style.

The Payne Brothers – Harry as Clown and Fred as Harlequin, c. 1875

One avantgarde form was Pantomime. Hugely popular from the mid-1600s into the 1800s. Large gestures, physical comedy, and often elaborate costumes and makeup delighted audiences. Characterized by two figures, Clown and Harlequin, the Payne Brothers (Harry and Frederick, sons of classic Pantomime artist William Payne) popularized the act. The mime of today has brought this unique form of entertainment into contemporary times.

The Beggar’s Opera, Painting based on scene 11, act 3 by William Hogarth, c. 1728, Librettist John Gay, Wikipedia

With the rise of the middle class, Ballad Opera became popular. It incorporated well-known songs with spoken dialogue. A precursor to musical comedy, this was a farce of the traditional Italian operas and incorporated humor and satire, making it more relatable than the pretentious form of opera.

The style of the building itself saw changes that lasted for the next few centuries and are still the standard.

The Orchestra Pit on the floor

Live theater went from roving bands of actors, performing under the trees or in the town square, to large buildings with solid roofs. The stage itself was once close enough to the audience for interaction. However, when the orchestra began taking over a large percentage of the stage, sometimes with fifty musicians crowding the actors, it was moved to the front onto the floor, separating the audience from the stage. The main floor is still called the Orchestra Level. This worked fine for sophisticated audiences, but too often, a rowdy crowd would pelt the musicians with rotten fruit if they heard a sour note.

The Orchestra Pit under the stage

Still, it wouldn’t be until a century later that Richard Wagner came up with an innovative design to not only protect the musicians but hide them. Lowering the floor just in front of the stage and utilizing the space underneath, this was called, appropriately, the Orchestra Pit.

Note the five candelabras lighting the stage

Lighting changed as the auditoriums grew larger. At the beginning of the 18th century, the seating area was as bright as the stage, lit with candelabra rings. When the audience moved farther from their focal point, it became increasingly hard to see the performance. Thus, the house was darkened, and five rings of candelabras lit the actors.

Lighting the footlights

Footlights with tin reflectors, an invention of the previous century, were originally lit by candles and later with kerosene and oil. In the Haymarket Theatre in London, colored glass was raised and lowered to enhance effects on stage. As one would imagine, theaters were prone to burning down.

As live theater developed in Western civilization, it was inevitable that it would cross the pond and end up in America. However, Puritan settlers prohibited its development until the early 18th century. Surprisingly, Williamsburg, Virginia was the first to introduce this form of entertainment in 1716. Charleston, South Carolina adopted it in 1730, when several English actors began performing in various venues. By the mid-1730s, New York caught the vision and opened several theaters. New England legislatures attempted to prohibit live performances on moral grounds. One touring company, however, broke through with its presentation of Shakespeare’s Othello, arguing it to be a “moral dialogue in five acts”.

The Hallam Company, organized by actor-manager William Hallam and led by his brother Lewis Hallam, arrived by boat at Yorktown, Virginia June 2, 1752. When they moved to New York, they changed the name to The American Company (1758-1785), and later to The Old American Company (1785-1805).

If it weren’t for the ancient peoples, the driven creatives, and the royal lovers of live theater, I’d never have been able to enjoy seeing my son in the dozens of performances in which he’s participated over the years. He now teaches Theater Education at City College in New York as an Adjunct Professor.

Joey Kovach as Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Choctawhatchee High School 1997.

I’m a proud mom! 😊

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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