Early American Theatre from the Revolution to Thomas Jefferson: Into the Hands of the People

by Heather S. Nathans

Overview

Theater has often served as a touchstone for moments of political change or national definition and as a way of exploring cultural and ethnic identity. Heather Nathans examines its growth and influence in the development of the young American Republic—from the Revolution through the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800. Unlike many works on early American theater, this book explores the lives and motives of the people working behind the scenes to establish a new national drama.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521035477
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/15/2007
Series:	Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama , #19
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Heather S. Nathans is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is also currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University. Her articles on the early national theater have appeared in the Pennsylvania History Journal, The New England Theatre Journal, and The Journal of American Drama and Theatre.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; List of tables; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Extravagance and dissipation; 2. Revolutionary transformations; 3. 'A democracy of glee'; 4. Butcher, baker, candlestick maker; 5. A commercial community; 6. Into the hands of the people; Epilogue: 'from an infant stage'; Tables; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...fascinating study..." —American Studies

From the Publisher