The History of The American Theater to Date Essay

The History of The American Theater to Date - Essay Example According to Morris (3), the doctor’s â€Å"unconventional taste was condoned by many of his patients because of his professional skill.† His companion had recently â€Å"given cause for scandal,† launching what Morris calls â€Å"a stormy controversy† in the New York and Boston newspapers. Public resentment rose against this man, Edmund Kean, the most famous of English actors whose successful American tour ended, abruptly, in disaster. Still, amidst the struggles and fight, Kean was successful in having the first monument dedicated to an actor’s honor erected. The monument reads: Erected to the Memory of George Frederick Cooke by Edund Kean of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 1821 â€Å"Three kingdoms claim his birth, Both hemispheres pronounce his worth.† In spite of the growing number of theatrical productions, the northern states continued to harbor much opposition over the theater. In 1794, the first Boston theater opened. It was equipped with a separate entrance to the gallery, of which theater opponents of the playhouse argued that in affording a special door to this portion of the house meant the theater was offering â€Å"the resort of the vile of both sexes† (Morris). In spite of public opposition, the theater continued to grow. In fact, â€Å"little theaters† began to pop up all around. Dion Boucicault wrote The Octoroon (1861-1862) –a lurid tale of race, slavery, and crime- in a time when penning such literature was popular and risquà ©. Even so, Boucicault’s work became as infamous as the works of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller.