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This 2003 book examines the growth and influence of the theatre in the development of the young American Republic.
Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Mannheim, course: Literatures of the Early National Period, language: English, abstract: Walter J. Meserve concludes in his work An Outline History of American Drama that many eighteenth century American plays “indicate little dramatic talent and were written more to criticize and to propagandize than to create a work of art, but the passion of some exhibited in these plays often strikes a spark of real life“ (38). Given this, Meserve portrays early American drama as a weapon with the ambition to educate its readers in a specific (American) way. In the same breath, this also means that the play ́s form and its dramatic elements are less important than its implicit (political) message, which leads to the conclusion that early American drama is merely a political mouthpiece. Contrariwise, this paper will show that besides educating its readers, early American plays should also be read as a work of art. This will be illustrated by Royall Tyler ́s play The Contrast which is an outstanding example of the eighteenth century literature, combining political issues with formidable art. In summary, the overall question that will be answered in this study is: Which political issues of his time does Tyler portray in his comedy and which other readings of the play are possible? I assume that the political tendency is only one aspect. Above all, the paper will point out that the play is also construction of art and shows a special concept of utopia.
Describes the growth and development of theatre in the United States. Documents and commentary are arranged into chapters on business practice, acting, theatre buildings, drama, design, and audience behavior.
As America passed from a mere venue for English plays into a country with its own nationally regarded playwrights, William Dunlap lived the life of a pioneer on the frontier of the fledgling American theatre, full of adventures, mishaps, and close calls. He adapted and translated plays for the American audience and wrote plays of his own as well, learning how theatres and theatre companies operated from the inside out. Dunlap's masterpiece, A History of American Theatre was the first of its kind, drawing on the author's own experiences. In it, he describes the development of theatre in New York, Philadelphia, and South Carolina as well as Congress's first attempts at theatrical censorship. Never before previously indexed, this edition also includes a new introduction by Tice L. Miller.