This Month in Theatre History
January looks back on the first female theatre manager, a new-play producer, a groundbreaking Black theatre artist, peak Broadway, and more.
Stories by The Oscar G. Brockett Center for Theatre History and Criticism
This Month in Theatre History
The first production to use electric lighting, a tragic theatre fire, a Broadway landmark, an Asian American icon, and a James Baldwin musical adaptation.
This Month in Theatre History
November recalls the play Lincoln first saw Booth in, Kern’s Princess Theatre musicals, a Puerto Rican literary godfather, a gospel Oedipus musical, and a century-defining epic.
This Month in Theatre History
October saw Congress vote against theatre, Frederick Douglass inveighing against minstrelsy, a ‘Shuffle Along’ sequel, a gravity-defying musical, and the passing of a genre-defining playwright.
This Month in Theatre History
September looks back on theatre in the colonies, early playwright protections, Midwest theatre milestones, living newspapers, and two groundbreaking Broadway musicals.
This Month in Theatre History
August theatre history brings the heat of protest, rolling blackouts, the creation of two new companies, and the less-than-stellar U.S. premiere of a literary star.
This Month in Theatre History
July brings a myriad of stories from theatre’s past, from an actress who witnessed Lincoln’s assassination to the a grounbreaking Deaf-and-hearing production on Broadway.
This Month in Theatre History
This month a famous cross-dressing performer finds love and success in her farewell tour, 2 new theatres are inaugurated, history is made at the Tony Awards, and an original musical gives voice to one of the first out trans U.S. mayors.
This Month in Theatre History
From a famous British mimic’s take on American types to the development of Asian American work the West Coast, the month is packed with noteworthy developments.
This Month in Theatre History
California gets its first theatre and a grand pageant, a choreographer preserves classic Broadway dance, and an early Paula Vogel work is staged in Canada.
