American theatre in context, from the beginnings to 1870

Abstract

Introduction Theatrical performances do cultural work of historical significance through their repeated circularity over time. A performance genre, the interplay of conventional actions and responses, is repeated for a few years until groups of performers and spectators find other modes of interacting that are more entertaining. Theatre historians have traditionally jumped in to explain this ongoing circular process at the many points of production, but the moments of reception – the points at which the feedback loop is complete – also require explanation. Explaining audience response necessarily leads the historian to embed performance events into their social and cultural milieu; spectator response, in turn, is potentially the most important key to historical context. Consequently, this summary chapter on the context of American theatre from 1600 to 1870 focuses on historical audiences and the major genres they enjoyed. Because the most relevant context for theatre audiences is frequently other types of performances, this overview will also include comments on sporting events, religious rituals, and other kinds of public performances beyond the theatre. All American cultures enjoyed a range of performance events, only some of which ever found their way onto a stage. Many historical groups, of course, had neither the cultural inducements nor the material necessities to establish theatre as a separate institution. Of the three major cultures in North America after 1600, only white Europeans began with an itch for “theatre” as it is usually understood; Native Americans and Africans had institutionalized other modes of performance. A history of the American theatre limited to performances in a European language on a raised stage automatically excludes the performance traditions of many Americans.