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Jasper Deeter formed Philadelphia's oldest repertory theater company in 1923. Though seemingly self-isolated in the small and intense community of theater workers he had founded, his work as a director, actor, visionary and ...
This special episode of the podcast goes on a journey to the Paul Robeson House and Museum in Philadelphia. Included is an interview with Janice Sykes-Ross of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and a recording of a live...
Like the ghost of Hamlet's father, John Barrymore wouldn't stay still and kept showing up! A chapter about Philadelphia's most famous acting family, from Wicked Philadelphia , a book by Thomas H. Keels Wicked Philadelphia: S...
As an addendum to Season One, here are six more stories of 19th C. Philadelphia theater. We discuss Alexander Reinagle, Joseph Jefferson III, James Murdoch, Matilda Heron, John McCullough - as well as two stagehands at the Wa...
An interview/conversation with Jonathan Shandell, the author of a January 2022 article in the journal Theater History Studies entitled "Caricatured, Marginalized, Betrayed". The article examines the history of the Philadelph...
January 1990: The appointment of Mary B. Robinson as the new Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild is announced, taking over from outgoing Artistic Director Gregory Poggi. Robinson's tenure at the Drama Guild was ...
From the 1876 Centennial Exposition to the end of the 19th Century, Philadelphia's experienced a boom in theater construction. New plays, musicals, operettas and vaudeville shows constantly cycled in and out of the city to fi...
John A. Arneaux plays "Richard III" at the Academy of Music, then mysteriously exits the American stage. His co-star, the actor Henri Strange, remains - and strives to create a Shakespeare theater for Philadelphia's Black aud...
John A. Arneaux billed himself as "The Black Booth" and starred in a one-night all-Black production of Shakespeare's "Richard III' at Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Music in January 1887. Who was he, where had he come ...
Before ending their occupation of Philadelphia in 1778, the British threw themselves a hell of a theatre party! Knights and heralds, pageantry and theatricals, pomp and parading, feasting and flirting, all-night dancing and o...
The story of one of America's most infamous - and influential - performance traditions, as it specifically relates to the history of theater in Philadelphia. For blog post with images and more thoughts about this topic, go to...
The famous 19th Century American tragic actress - and the 2Oth Century Philadelphia women who founded an organization in her honor. Check out all our recent episodes about Philadelphia's "Theatre History" or its "Theater His...
Mike Lueger of "The Theatre History Podcast" interviews Dr. Christian DuComb about the history of Philadelphia Mummers Parade, the history behind the iconic annual Philadelphia event, and the 'Mummers Wench'. Although I've ad...
What was Philadelphia to do, in an age when theater audiences were Running Riot? Why, of course! . . build them an Academy, and fill it with Grand Opera. The early history of the most famous and most beautiful surviving …
Bad behavior, bigotry and boorishness were often on display in many early 19th Century theater audiences. Philadelphia's New Theatre, on Chestnut Street, as well as being the premiere home for drama in America, could also be ...
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, an exploration of performances by Indigenous People in theaters of the City of Philadelphia in the 19th Century. We also detail plays by white performers that supposedly depicted Na...
Louisa Lane Drew was a prominent lady in Philadelphia, known for her management of "Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street Theatre". We continue the story we began in Part One, and complete our examination of her life and career, cove...
Louisa Lane Drew was a prominent lady in Philadelphia, known for her management of "Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street Theatre". We begin the story of her rise to fame and respectability, and chronicle her early years, long before...
Fanny Kemble feels trapped in her new marriage, and learns the stark truth about American slavery and how she herself has become implicated in its horrors. We detail in this episode how, after a long struggle, she finally wor...
Fanny Kemble and her father Charles Kemble, representatives of the most famous English theatrical family of their day, appeared at both the Chestnut Street Theatre and Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in the early 1830s,...
Edwin Forrest returns to his home city in the final decades of his life. He keeps performing on the city's stages, and creates his long-term legacy in Philadelphia. For photographs and additional commentary about this topic, ...
The second installment of the story of Philadelphia's own Edwin Forrest, the first great star of the American Stage! In this episode we cover the period from 1829 to 1836, when he was building the repertoire of roles that wou...
This is an edited version of the interview with Peter Schmitz by Mike Lueger of "The Theatre History Podcast". In the interview, Peter tries to answer Mike's many excellent questions about this podcast, such as: "Why Philadel...
We begin to explore the story of Philadelphia's own Edwin Forrest, the first great star of the American Stage! We follow him from birth, through his early years, to his initial success. You can learn more about our podcast, f...