Overview

History, they say, has a filthy tongue. In the case of colonial theatre in America, what we know about performance has come from the detractors of theatre and not its producers. Yet this does not account for the flourishing theatrical circuit established between 1760 and 1776. This study explores the culture's social support of the theatre.

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9781403971005

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Reviews

With Absence and Memory in Colonial American Theatre, Odai Johnson has written a book that scholars of American Theatre and early American History have been waiting for. He explores histories and lives that have remained largely unknown until this point. Johnson challenges previous misconceptions about the development of the colonial stage, and through meticulous research, helps to fill in numerous gaps in the historical record. Moreover, his imaginative framework and narrative allow the work to transcend a simple historical account of events, offering a creative new paradigm for theatre research. --Heather S. Nathans, University of Maryland Odai Johnson demonstrates that our historical memories and narratives on American colonial theatre and society have shaped the evidence to tell a distorted story of anti-theatricalism, counter to the far more interesting and complex history that emerges here. With this book, Odai Johnson establishes himself as a theatre historian we all must read. --Thomas Postlewait, Ohio State University <p>

With Absence and Memory in Colonial American Theatre, Odai Johnson has written a book that scholars of American Theatre and early American History have been waiting for. He explores histories and lives that have remained largely unknown until this point. Johnson challenges previous misconceptions about the development of the colonial stage, and through meticulous research, helps to fill in numerous gaps in the historical record. Moreover, his imaginative framework and narrative allow the work to transcend a simple historical account of events, offering a creative new paradigm for theatre research. --Heather S. Nathans, University of Maryland<br> Odai Johnson demonstrates that our historical memories and narratives on American colonial theatre and society have shaped the evidence to tell a distorted story of anti-theatricalism, counter to the far more interesting and complex history that emerges here. With this book, Odai Johnson establishes himself as a theatre historian we all must

With Absence and Memory in Colonial American Theatre, Odai Johnson has written a book that scholars of American Theatre and early American History have been waiting for. He explores histories and lives that have remained largely unknown until this point. Johnson challenges previous misconceptions about the development of the colonial stage, and through meticulous research, helps to fill in numerous gaps in the historical record. Moreover, his imaginative framework and narrative allow the work to transcend a simple historical account of events, offering a creative new paradigm for theatre research. - Heather S. Nathans, University of Maryland Odai Johnson demonstrates that our historical memories and narratives on American colonial theatre and society have shaped the evidence to tell a distorted story of anti-theatricalism, counter to the far more interesting and complex history that emerges here. With this book, Odai Johnson establishes himself as a theatre historian we all must read. - Thomas Postlewait, Ohio State University

Author Information

ODAI JOHNSON is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington's School of Drama, USA. He is the author of Rehearsing the Revolution, co-author of The Colonial American Stage, a Documentary Calendar, and numerous articles on the American theatre.

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