London in a box : Englishness and theatre in revolutionary America / Odai Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Odai, 1959- author.

Series:

Studies in theatre history and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Douglass, David, -1789.

Douglass, David.

Theatrical producers and directors--United States--Biography.

Theatrical producers and directors.

Theater and state.

History.

Theater.

United States.

Theater--United States--History--18th century.

Theater and state--United States--History--18th century.

United States--Civilization--English influences.

Civilization.

Civilization--English influences.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 273 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, [2017]

Summary:

"If one went looking for the tipping point in the prelude to the American Revolution, it would not be the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor, or the blockade of Boston by British warships, or even the gathering of the first Continental Congress; rather, it was the Congress's decision in late October of 1774 to close the theatres. In this remarkable feat of historical research, Odai Johnson pieces together the surviving fragments of the story of the first professional theatre troupe based in the British North American colonies. In doing so, he tells the story of how colonial elites came to decide they would no longer style themselves British gentlemen, but instead American citizens. London in a Box chronicles the enterprise of David Douglass, founder and manager of the American Theatre, from the 1750s to the climactic 1770s. The ambitious Scotsman's business was teaching provincial colonials to dress and behave as genteel British subjects. Through the plays he staged, the scenery and costumes, and the bearing of his actors, he displayed London fashion and London manners. He counted among his patrons the most influential men in America, from British generals and governors to local leaders, including the avid theatre-goers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. By 1774, Douglass operated a monopoly of theatres in six colonies and the Anglophone Caribbean, from Jamaica to Charleston and northward to New York City. (Boston remained an impregnable redoubt against theatre.) How he built this network of patrons and theatres and how it all went up in flames as the revolution began is the subject of this witty history. A treat for anyone interested in the world of the American Revolution and an important study for historians of the period"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 A Season of Great Uncertainty: New York, October 1774 11

Chapter 2 A Disastrous Arrival: New York, October 1758 18

Chapter 3 Building a Network: 1759-1760 25

Chapter 4 London in a Box 40

Chapter 5 This Wandering Theatre: Newport, New York, Charleston, 1761-1763 57

Chapter 6 Heart of Oak, and Other Transatlantic Transformations: April 1764-October 1766 69

Chapter 7 Murder in the Greenroom, and Other London Interludes: 1764-1765 81

Chapter 8 Sailing on an Unwelcomed Ship: 1765-1766 95

Chapter 9 The Politics of Frugality: 1767-1769 113

Chapter 10 Associations and Binges: 1770 132

Chapter 11 Lords of the Turf: Maryland, 1770-1771 151

Chapter 12 Great Reckonings in Small Rooms: 1773-1774 160

Chapter 13 Christopher Gadsden's Wharf: Charleston, Summer 1774 193

Chapter 14 The Second America: New York, Winter 1774 202.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781609384944

1609384946

OCLC:

960707670