The Partnership of Stuart Robson and William H. Crane: American Comedians (New York)

For twelve and one-half seasons (January 1877 to May 1889), actors Stuart Robson and William H. Crane maintained a theatrical partnership which presented fourteen productions of contemporary comedies and "old comedies" to the American public. On the road and in New York, they developed into one of the most popular, financially successful, and critically acclaimed star attractions of the period. Contemporaries particularly cited two of their productions--The Comedy of Errors (1885-87) and The Henrietta (1887-89)--as standards of excellence in their field. In fact, the innovations synthesized in these productions represented signal accomplishments in the development of native American production and acting styles. Having been trained under a system dependent on the stagecraft, management practices, and acting techniques associated with the "old school" or primarily British tradition of comedy performance, Robson and Crane's progress illustrates fundamental changes which took place overall in the late nineteenth century American legitimate theatre, including the pervasive trend toward realistic presentation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Morgan, John Benjamin

• Biography
• Theater

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8410002

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/71114