Actors and American Culture, 1880-1920

The 40 years from 1880 to 1920 marked the golden age of the American theatre as a national institution, a time when actors moved from being players outside the boundaries of respectable society to being significant figures in the social landscape. The book provides an overview of the late 19th and 20th century theatre and also a study of the legitimate stage that overtly attempts to connect actors and their work to the wider aspects of American life.