"This study is in the field of the American Theatre and its drama during the latter half of the nineteenth century. It's purpose is to furnish to the teacher of dramatics a working method by which plays of this period may be studied and produced in the school theatre with a fair measure of historical authenticity. It attempts to accomplish this purpose (I) by devoting itself to an investigation of dramatic production techniques in the American Theatre of this period, and (2) by presenting the findings in terms of a school project in the reproduction of the plays. The study does not pretend to concern itself with literary standards or values in American drama. Whether the plays of this period are good or bad literature is a different field of investigation. The focus here is on methods of staging."--Intro. [p. 1].

In this survey of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American drama, Tice L. Miller examines American plays written before a canon was established in American dramatic literature and provides analyses central to the culture that produced them. Entertaining the Nation: American Drama in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries evaluates plays in the early years of the republic, reveals shifts in taste from the classical to the contemporary in the 1840s and 1850s, and considers the increasing influence of realism at the end of the nineteenth century. Miller explores the relationship between American drama and societal issues during this period. While never completely shedding its English roots, says Miller, the American drama addressed issues important on this side of the Atlantic such as egalitarianism, republicanism, immigration, slavery, the West, Wall Street, and the Civil War. In considering the theme of egalitarianism, the volume notes Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation in 1831 that equality was more important to Americans than liberty. Also addressed is the Yankee character, which became a staple in American comedy for much of the nineteenth century. Miller analyzes several English plays and notes how David Garrick’s reforms in London were carried over to the colonies. Garrick faced an increasingly middle-class public, offers Miller, and had to make adjustments to plays and to his repertory to draw an audience. The volumealso looks at the shift in drama that paralleled the one in political power from the aristocrats who founded the nation to Jacksonian democrats. Miller traces how the proliferation of newspapers developed a demand for plays that reflected contemporary society and details how playwrights scrambled to put those symbols of the outside world on stage to appeal to the public. Steamships and trains, slavery and adaptations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and French influences are presented as popular subjects during that time. Entertaining the Nation effectively outlines the civilizing force of drama in the establishment and development of the nation, ameliorating differences among the various theatergoing classes, and provides a microcosm of the changes on and off the stage in America during these two centuries.

Unearths the personalities and experiences of touring and itinerant popular entertainers in 19th-century America. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, describes life and work on the showboats, among the small towns, and in the big cities; and the financial difficulties, the physical dangers, the social prejudices, and cultural barriers. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $15.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

No detailed description available for "Theater of Augustin Daly".

(Applause Books). Seven hits that have been the staples of the American dramatic repertoire. Myron Matlaw's introduction provides a splendid survey of the development of American drama. Individual prefaces focus each work in the perspective of its historical context.