George Alexander and the Work of the Actor-Manager

Author:   Lucie Sutherland
Publisher:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Edition:   1st ed. 2020
ISBN:  

9783030409371


Pages:   297
Publication Date:   05 July 2021
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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George Alexander and the Work of the Actor-Manager


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Overview

In the first book-length study of the work and legacy of West End actor-manager George Alexander since the 1930s, George Alexander and the Work of the Actor Manager examines the key part this figure played in presenting new drama by authors including Oscar Wilde and Henry James. The book sheds new light on the figure of the actor-manager, assessing in detail the influence of Alexander within and beyond his time. At the St. James’s Theatre in London between 1891 and 1918, through a range of strategies including the support of new writers, and adaptation of fiction to the stage, Alexander sustained professional status through practices that continue to be reflected in the cultural industries today. A range of evidence is employed including production reviews, anecdotal accounts, financial records, and personal correspondence, to reveal how he operated as a business entrepreneur as well as an artistic innovator.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lucie Sutherland
Publisher:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Imprint:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Edition:   1st ed. 2020
Weight:   0.410kg
ISBN:  

9783030409371


ISBN 10:   3030409376
Pages:   297
Publication Date:   05 July 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 2. George Alexander and the St. James’s ‘brand’.- 3. The actor-manager system: autonomy and collaboration.- 4. The actor-manager system: the role of the playwright.- 5. Managing risk: cross-sector adaptation.- 6. The Legacy of Alexander at the St. James’s Theatre.

Reviews

“Sutherland’s book captures an important period in the development of the West End. In tracing the web of interrelations between audience and stage and by exploring the wider creation of a burgeoning consumer culture and Alexander’s tight management of actors, playwrights, and gentlemanly financial backers, the author helps us to understand the complexities of James’s career in the theater. … The literary playwright would find his home more easily today.” (Sarah Chambré, The Henry James Review, Vol. 42 (2), 2021)


Sutherland's book captures an important period in the development of the West End. In tracing the web of interrelations between audience and stage and by exploring the wider creation of a burgeoning consumer culture and Alexander's tight management of actors, playwrights, and gentlemanly financial backers, the author helps us to understand the complexities of James's career in the theater. ... The literary playwright would find his home more easily today. (Sarah Chambre, The Henry James Review, Vol. 42 (2), 2021)


Author Information

Lucie Sutherland is Assistant Professor in Drama at the University of Nottingham, UK, based within the School of English. As a researcher, she is particularly concerned with British, commercial theatre from the late-nineteenth century to the present day.

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