From the perspective of the 20th century, Charleston, South Carolina, seems an unlikely beginning for American theatre, but Charleston of previous centuries had the location and economy to attract theatrical activity. More importantly, Charleston had a population that was consistently receptive to theatre. Eola Willis' The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century, with Social Settings of the Time demonstrates that a number of American theatrical firsts occurred in Charleston, such as the first performance by a professional actor, the first opera, and the first American prologues.
","abstract_html":"<p>From the perspective of the 20th century, Charleston, South Carolina, seems an unlikely beginning for American theatre, but Charleston of previous centuries had the location and economy to attract theatrical activity. More importantly, Charleston had a population that was consistently receptive to theatre. Eola Willis' The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century, with Social Settings of the Time demonstrates that a number of American theatrical firsts occurred in Charleston, such as the first performance by a professional actor, the first opera, and the first American prologues.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Adams, Pamela Morris"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Theatre and Dance","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1983,"date_issued":"1983-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1983-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:21Z","subjects":["Arts and Humanities","Theatre and Performance Studies","Charleston theater","Charleston SC","1790s","1800s"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 1983, Pamela Morris Adams"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7510","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Adams, Pamela Morris"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-12-07T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Theatre and Dance"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and Humanities","Theatre and Performance Studies","Charleston theater","Charleston SC","1790s","1800s"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 1983, Pamela Morris Adams"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7510"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["From the perspective of the 20th century, Charleston, South Carolina, seems an unlikely beginning for American theatre, but Charleston of previous centuries had the location and economy to attract theatrical activity. More importantly, Charleston had a population that was consistently receptive to theatre. Eola Willis' The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century, with Social Settings of the Time demonstrates that a number of American theatrical firsts occurred in Charleston, such as the first performance by a professional actor, the first opera, and the first American prologues.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Audience in Charleston's Theatres, 1790 - 1860"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Adams, Pamela Morris"],"dc:date.available":["2023-12-07T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["From the perspective of the 20th century, Charleston, South Carolina, seems an unlikely beginning for American theatre, but Charleston of previous centuries had the location and economy to attract theatrical activity. More importantly, Charleston had a population that was consistently receptive to theatre. Eola Willis' The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century, with Social Settings of the Time demonstrates that a number of American theatrical firsts occurred in Charleston, such as the first performance by a professional actor, the first opera, and the first American prologues.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7510"],"dc:rights":["© 1983, Pamela Morris Adams"],"dc:subject":["Arts and Humanities","Theatre and Performance Studies","Charleston theater","Charleston SC","1790s","1800s"],"dc:title":["The Audience in Charleston's Theatres, 1790 - 1860"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Theatre and Dance"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:21Z"}