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Theatre of the Living Arts - The Remix
25 Nov 2024
01:28:57
A re-edited, reduced and remixed account of the entire history of the Theatre of the Living Arts – the first major professional theater company in Philadelphia's modern era.
Photo of the company of The Line of Least Existence was taken by Bill Watkins.
Links to blog posts on our podcast's webpage, with other images and information about our sources, can be found here, here and here.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
We Died in Philadelphia - Part One
05 Jul 2024
00:39:25
Many tryout shows - along with some post-Broadway tours - came through Philadelphia during the 1960s. Some shows died in Philly - and some performers and audience members did too!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Hollywood, Here We Come: Tryout Shows of the 1950s
14 Jun 2024
00:42:30
The fates and fortunes of commercial shows of the 1950s demonstrate how deep the influence of Hollywood was in American commercial theater coming through Philadelphia on tryout runs.
For a blog post with additional information and images, go HERE
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Aftershock: The Serious Reckoning
06 May 2024
00:32:30
Post-war theater in Philadelphia reflected all the many serious issues the country was facing: Carmen Jones, A Streetcar Named Desire, Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Member of the Wedding and Death of a Salesman all had tryout premieres in Philadelphia - among many others.
For a blog post on our website with additional information and images, go HERE
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Boom
19 Apr 2024
00:40:17
"Pal Joey," "Native Son," "Annie Get Your Gun" - during the years of the Second World War, there was a new surge of exciting Broadway productions trying out in Philadelphia.
But at the same time, the Shuberts' domination of the Philadelphia theater market was meeting increasing scrutiny.
For a blog post on our website with images from the productions we discuss in the episode, go HERE
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: Philadelphia's "Negro Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project
14 Apr 2024
00:51:03
A reissue of our conversation with scholar Jonathan Shandell and director Jerrell Henderson, about a little-known chapter of Philadelphia's theater history.
For a blog post on our website, with images from the productions we discuss in the episode, go HERE
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Crash
05 Apr 2024
00:45:09
Philadelphia enters the Great Depression. Although a few shows were still having their Broadway tryouts in Philly, it wasn't enough to keep the wrecking crews from tearing down many of the city's grand old theaters.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: John Barrymore Comes Home
25 Oct 2024
00:31:22
Like the ghost of Hamlet's father, the body of John Barrymore would not stay still . . . one dark night it suddenly appeared in his hometown.
A story about the wandering remains of a member of Philadelphia's most famous acting family, taken from Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love, a book by Thomas H. Keels.
This episode was originally released as our Episode 34 in July of 2022.
Please visit Tom's website, www.thomaskeels.com, for more information on his other books and upcoming talks and lectures.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
On The Road with John Drew
23 Feb 2024
00:45:14
A story of an "All Star Cast" touring production in 1927. After the unexpected death of its star, the veteran actor John Drew Jr., company member Peggy Wood wrote this detailed memoir of his final tour.
A dramatic reading from the archives of Philadelphia theater history, underscored with evocative musical accompaniment.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Passing Shows of the 1920s
11 Feb 2024
00:37:20
Broadway tryouts and tours and revues were constantly coming to Philadelphia's many large and luxurious theaters during the 1920s - here's a quick review of the revues!
Even the Moscow Art Theatre came through town - as well as great productions of Eugene O'Neill plays.
Philly was a real Tryout Town, with such great venues as the Erlanger, the Garrick, the Earle, the Shubert, and the Forrest, as well as the revamped and re-designed Chestnut Street Opera House and the the Walnut Street Theatre.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Theatrical Real Estate
27 Jan 2024
00:39:51
The story of the Shubert Brothers, and how they began to take control over almost every commercial theater in Philadelphia - just like they did in cities all across America.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Newest Oldest Biggest Little Theater
12 Jan 2024
00:42:07
The "Little Theater Movement" arrives in Philadelphia, bringing modern plays and surprising new venues - including the Walnut Street Theatre, where The Green Goddess was given a World Premiere tryout run in December of 1920.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Holiday Show - 2023
22 Dec 2023
00:38:48
Our annual Holiday episode! Featured are stories about the tightrope sensation El Nino Eddie, "Hitchy-Koo; the Intimate Revue," The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Timbuktu!, Signor Blitz during the American Civil War, and many other tales about Philadelphia theater history.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Big Time: Philadelphia Vaudevillians
08 Dec 2023
01:10:41
Stories of seven notable vaudevillians who came from Philadelphia, including W.C. Fields, Ethel Barrymore, and Ethel Waters. (We also briefly profile Ed Wynn, Larry Fine, Walter C. Kelly, and the woman known as "Sober Sue.")
Was Philadelphia "The Cradle of Vaudeville" in the same way it was The Cradle of the Nation? After listening to the show, let us know what you think! Write to us at: AITHpodcast@gmail.com
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Philadelphia Vaudeville!
24 Nov 2023
00:35:25
Philadelphia, like all American cities of the day, was home to the exciting energy and show-biz hustle of vaudeville theaters in the first decades of the 20th Century.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Return of The Clansman
10 Nov 2023
00:33:44
In the fall of 1915, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was booked to play at the Forrest Theatre - a "legitimate house," not a movie theater - but would Philadelphia's city authorities allow it to be shown?
After all, the film's racist source material, Thomas Dixon's play The Clansman, had been officially banned in the city back in 1906. But was this a "movie" or a "photo-play"? Could it be legally censored at all? How did this controversy result in plays and movies being regarded as two different types of entertainment?
For earlier episodes about Thomas Dixon and his play The Clansman - and how the Philadelphia African-American community organized against it in 1906 see our series "The Fight Against the Clansman" - Episodes 42, 43, and 45.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Season Three: The Tryout Town
20 Oct 2023
00:39:02
We begin our third season of adventures! Here we learn about the historical originas of the "Tryout Town" in American showbiz of the early 20th Century.
We discuss the movie 42nd Street and discuss many touring shows that came through Philly on their way to and from Broadway - including George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones, which introduced the song "Give My Regards To Broadway" at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1904.
But we also learn that the real place that Philadelphians needed to travel, in order to catch tryout shows, was not the theaters of Broad Street but along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey while they took their summer vacations!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Interview: Penelope Reed
15 Sep 2023
00:54:53
Actress, director and educator Penelope Reed sits down for an interview with us, and shares fascinating memories of her long career in Philadelphia area theater. In particular she discusses her lifelong involvement and eventual leadership of the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.
This episode can be seen as a continuation of our Episode 36, "Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre" from September 2022. You can find it on any podcasting app, or go right to the episode page on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/jasper-deeter-and-the-hedgerow-theatre/
As a special bonus, you can also hear Penelope Reed discuss the history of her amazing theatrical family! In return for a small membership donation on Patreon, you can year this additional 24-minute section of the interview: AITHpodcast@patreon.com
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: The Mischianza
11 Oct 2024
00:31:27
An encore presentation of Peter's reading of the chapter "Oh, It's a Lovely War: The Mischianza 1778" from Thomas H. Keels' Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love.
Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love by Thomas Keels, is available on Amazon.com. Please visit Tom's website, www.thomaskeels.com, for more information on his other books and upcoming talks and lectures.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: Stages of Fire
25 Aug 2023
00:49:02
[Note: This is a repeat of our Episode 12, first released in June 2021]
Fires were a real danger in 19th Century theater, and some Philadelphia theaters were burned down and rebuilt multiple times. Inevitably, in some of these fires performers, audience members, and firefighters lost their lives. In this episode we go on exploration of how theater fires in the 1800s affect the physical environment that we experience plays in today.
To view a blog entry with maps and illustrations on our website, go HERE
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Theatre of the Living Arts: The End
07 Jul 2023
00:43:53
The the final episode of our story about the Theatre of the Living Arts. While exciting work continues to happen on South Street, opposition to Andre Gregory's artistic leadership rises, and eventually matters come to a head after the production of the play Beclch.
(The image for this episode is actress Sharon Gans in the role of Queen Beclch, in a photo taken during rehearsals by Betty Nettis Bennett.)
Go to our blog post "Landslide," which contains additional information, documents and photographs of the events we describe in this episode: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/landslide/
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Theatre of the Living Arts: The Middle
30 Jun 2023
00:42:39
Our story continues, with productions of the '65-'66 second season of Philadelphia's first scrappy non-profit resident theater company - at its home on South Street.
Visit our website to find a blog post with mages about the plays we discuss, as well as additional information about this episode. There is also, as always, a bibliography of our sources. See the article, "Blinded by the Light": https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/blinded-by-the-light/
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Production Notes From Backstage
16 Jun 2023
00:27:39
Announcements, Corrections, Answers to questions from our listeners - and some exciting personal news!
(The episode image is of the frontage of the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, ca. 1820. From Charles Durang's History of the Philadelphia Stage.)
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Theatre of the Living Arts: A Beginning
29 May 2023
00:42:50
The founding of Philadelphia's first major resident theater company: The Theatre of the Living Arts.
As the 1960s begin, the fortunes of the Quaker City - and its theater - are flagging. Even the longtime supply of Broadway 'tryout' shows coming through town are beginning to dry up.
To jump-start a revival, two Philadelphia area women, Jean Goldman and Celia Silverman, begin the arduous process of bringing the skeptical Philly audience a non-profit theater, music and cinema organization. The director Andre Gregory becomes the theater's original Artistic Director. By January 1965 - after some last minute drama - the first play of the first season has its premiere!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Philadelphia Theater Scandal!
12 May 2023
00:39:15
Would Sunday in New York perform on Saturday in Philadelphia? Were the "riffraff and lowlifes" of Brecht'sThreepenny Opera suitable for its Playhouse in the Park? Could the first publicly funded and owned city theater in the country survive in the maelstrom of Philadelphia city politics?
Find out on today's episode - as we continue our Season Two "Drama Is Conflict," about censorship in Philly theater!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Banned in Philadelphia
14 Apr 2023
00:30:41
During the Great Depression years of the 1930s, some touring Broadway shows got into trouble in Philadelphia. "The People's Mayor" S. Davis Wilson had his limits when it came to what he would allow in the city's theaters.
Under his administration, such disparate plays as Tobacco Road, New Faces of 1936, and Langston Hughes' Mulatto make the news, as the Philadelphia Police Department and the Mayor's reconstituted Board of Theatrical Control tried to draw the line about what was acceptable on Philadelphia stages.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Stop Those Swinging Girls!
31 Mar 2023
00:39:11
In the 1920s, Philadelphia theater censorship controversies were usually about what women were wearing - or rather were NOT wearing - on the city's stages.
A great cast of historical characters in this episode, set during the Prohibition Era: fan dancer Sally Rand, bandleader Ted ("Is Everybody Happy?") Lewis, The Marx Brothers, Broadway producer Earl Carroll, General Smedley Butler, Rev. Frederic Poole of the Philadelphia Board of Theatrical Control - and many, many dancing showgirls!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre
22 Sep 2024
01:00:57
A re-released and edited version of our Episode 36!
In this show we interview theater historian Barry Witham about his 2013 book A Sustainable Theatre: Jasper Deeter at the Hedgerow, and then bring listeners along on a guided tour of Hedgerow Theatre campus in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Bernhardt and the Playboy
17 Mar 2023
00:38:06
In 1911, actress Sarah Bernhardt's production of La Samaritaine met with fervent opposition from Philadelphia clergymen. In 1912, the Irish Players' production of Playboy of the Western World caused yet another Philly audience riot!
What was going on?Listen and find out! It's all part of our continuing Season Two: "Drama Is Conflict".
Please Note: There is nothing immoral, blasphemous, or obscene in this episode. There's no explicit language. None at all. Don't worry, you'll be fine.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Hammerstein's Opera House, Part Three
24 Feb 2023
00:40:12
The last installment of the saga of Oscar Hammerstein in the "Opera Wars" - and the grand Philadelphia theater he left behind, when the war was over.
We also meet the New York banker Otto Kahn - the power behind the rival Metropolitan Opera - and how that name gets transferred to the Philadelphia building.
Despite many transformations, over the years it has remained a grand temple of Music, Art and Faith on North Broad Street. We follow the musical trail from 1910 - all the way to the present day.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Hammerstein's Opera House, Part Two
10 Feb 2023
00:38:36
February 1909: The opera "Salome" at Oscar Hammerstein's new Philadelphia Opera House needed to be stopped, as a matter of public decency, declared hundreds of clergymen and civic leaders.
Meanwhile, the impresario himself was threatening to take his newly-founded opera company back to New York, and set up the enormous theater as a vaudeville house instead! What was going on?
This is the second part of three-part series on the impresario Oscar Hammerstein and his venture into the Philadelphia theater world. For additional images and information, see the blog post on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/salome-was-a-dancer/
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Hammerstein's Opera House, Part One
27 Jan 2023
00:38:47
November 17, 1908 : The magnificent new theater in North Philadelphia was ready for its first opera! It was "as if some master magician's wand had called it into being," wrote one admiring journalist.
Everyone in the city, especially its most wealthy and socially prominent citizens, could hardly wait to get inside to see the show. But first they had to make their way through the crowd of ten thousand people out on the streets gathered just to see them all dressed up in their finest!
This is the story of the Manhattan opera impresario Oscar Hammerstein, and how the "Opera War" with his rival, the Metropolitan Opera Company, spread all the way to Philadelphia. What remains behind of that war today is not only an amazing theater, but a great story!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Fight Against The Clansman, Part Three
13 Jan 2023
00:34:21
1906: A coalition of African American men attempt to stop Thomas Dixon Jr.'s play The Clansman from being performed in Philadelphia. After leading a public protest in front of the Walnut Street Theatre, the whole matter ends up in City Hall, at a hearing before Mayor John Weaver.
Music in the episode is by Chris Colucci, except for the underscoring late in the episode, which from the second movement of the Symphony No. 1 in E minor by the composer Florence Price. Performance by the New Black Repertory Ensemble, Leslie B. Dunner, conductor.
Please Note: There is no historical connection or relationship between the management of the Walnut Street Theatre, as it stood in 1906, and the current management of the modern Walnut Street Theatre at the same location.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Holiday Show - 2022
30 Dec 2022
00:26:52
Seven short and light vignettes from the history of Philadelphia Theater - all of which took place in the city during the Holidays, from various theatrical seasons over the past 150 years.
A gift to all of you listeners and supporters of the podcast. We hope you have a wonderful and restful Holiday season, and that the New Year of 2023 brings you health, happiness - and plenty of chances to go out and see some good theater, wherever you are in the world!
If you enjoyed the show, PLEASE LEAVE US A REVIEW! You can do it easily, right here - especially if you listen to us ON APPLE PODCASTS! We need some more reviews there: https://www.aithpodcast.com/reviews/
If you have any questions, inquiries or additional comments, you can write us at our email address: AITHpodcast@gmail.com
Check out all our recent episodes! For an exciting season about Philadelphia's "Theatre History" or its "Theater History" - however you spell it, this is the podcast for you.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Fight Against The Clansman, Part Two
16 Dec 2022
00:34:04
We continue our story about Thomas Dixon Jr. and his 1905 play The Clansman with an examination of the early life of this formidable man. We learn the root causes of his political obsessions - and about his need to express himself in the world of the theater.
Also in this episode, we finally meet J. Frederick Zimmerman and Samuel F. Nixon, the two Philadelphia theatrical producers who were key members of The Theatrical Syndicate.
After listening to the episode, please visit our website, where there is additional information, images, and even a bibliography for this episode. The link is here: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/the-syndicate/
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Fight Against The Clansman, Part One
25 Nov 2022
00:33:18
We begin the harrowing and alarming story of "The Clansman," in Philadelphia. Although this play by the author Thomas W. Dixon is know as the progenitor to the 1915 D.W. Griffith film "Birth of the Nation," few are aware of its early controversial history,
The narrative begins in the streets outside the Walnut Street Theatre, as a large crowd of the city's Black citizens have gathered to protest the performance, and to demand that it be stopped.
(Please note: in all descriptions of Philadelphia's Walnut St. Theatre in the year 1906 - there is NO connection to the current management of the Walnut Street Theatre or the producers or organization of the modern company. All the events described in this episode took place long ago, in a different era, and should not be construed to represent the views of the present management of the building as it stands today.)
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Encore Episode: "I Fear No One" - Native American Performance in 19th Century Philadelphia
11 Nov 2022
00:31:01
A re-broadcast of an episode originally released in November of 2021.
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, an exploration of performances by Indigenous People in theaters of the City of Philadelphia in the 19th Century. We also detail plays by white performers that supposedly depicted Native people and stories in that period.
The attached image for the episode is a detail of an illustration found in the book "History of the Indian Tribes of North America", Volume One, by Thomas McKenney, which was published in Philadelphia in 1838.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Quaker City: The Forbidden Play of 1844, Part Three
28 Oct 2022
00:36:20
The mob is gathering in the street outside the Chestnut Street Theatre, while inside the rehearsals for the scandalous play The Quaker City go on! The thrilling conclusion of our three part series! Will it all end in a deadly riot? The suspense is building . . .
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Quaker City: The Forbidden Play of 1844, Part Two
14 Oct 2022
00:32:55
George Lippard's novel "The Quaker City, or the Monk's of Monk Hall" is made into a new play. The excitement about it builds in Philadelphia, just as the national election of 1844 roils the city.
We learn more about the young Philadelphia writer, and how he was recruited by theater manager Francis Wemyss to provide a script for his Chestnut Street Theatre. Meanwhile, one of Philadelphia's most prominent citizens is headed for the Vice Presidency, while others of the city's elite look with alarm at what Lippard and Wemyss' play might do to their reputations. Some of Philadelphia's theatergoers even have their reasons to threaten riots and bloodshed. The supposedly peaceable 'Quaker City' is not looking very peaceable at all.
Part Two of our three-part series about the threat of violence in the streets and theaters of Philadelphia in 1844, as we continue theme of Season Two of our podcast: "Drama is Conflict."
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
The Quaker City: The Forbidden Play of 1844, Part One
30 Sep 2022
00:19:53
The theater of Philadelphia was being staged during the roiling years of the 1840s. Bankruptcies, riots, labor unrest, growing religious fervor and racial tensions, rising crime (and public perception of crime due to increasing availability of journals and newspapers) were everywhere.
This is the context for the first episode of our Season Two: "Drama is Conflict," in which we set the scene for the coming battle over the play at Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theater, entitledThe Quaker City, or the Monks of Monk Hall, by George Lippard. How and why this production came about will be the story of our next two episodes, as well.
The image used for this episode is a detail from an 1844 lithograph entitled "The Death of George Shifler." It was a bit of popular propaganda produced by the nativist "American Republican Party," and supposedly depicted the death of the 19 year-old Shifler during the Kensington Riots of May 6, 1844. It is from the collection of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Persistent link: https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool%3A65090
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Season Two: Drama is Conflict
23 Sep 2022
00:09:00
A quick announcement about our upcoming season of new episodes . . . For an exciting season about Philadelphia's "Theatre History" or "Theater History" - however, you spell it, this is the place.
Spoiler Alert: There will be lots of drama. And conflict!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre
16 Sep 2022
01:02:06
Jasper Deeter formed the Hedgerow Theatre company in 1923. Though seemingly self-isolated in the small and intense community of theater workers he had gathered, his work as a director, actor, visionary and longtime acting teacher had a profound affect on shaping Philadelphia's - and America's - theater for years to come.
In this show we interview theater historian Barry Witham about his 2013 book A Sustainable Theatre: Jasper Deeter at the Hedgerow, and then bring listeners along on a guided tour of Hedgerow Theatre campus in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK is coming soon! It will only be in USA bookstores after November 30, 2024. But you can secure your copy NOW!