![]() ![]() Burley noted in Community Theatre that "Their tour aroused the antagonism of American citizens against the feeble productions of the commercial theatre, and seemed to be the catalyst that caused countless dramatic groups to germinate all over America, as a protest against commercial drama." In addition, the end of World War I led to a greater awareness of the European theatrical practices of France's Andre Antoine, Switzerland's Adolphe Appia, England's Gordon Craig, and Russia's Vsevelod Meyerhold and Konstantine Stanislavsky. ![]() Due to public dissatisfaction, Frohman's death, and an anti-trust suit, the Syndicate system became largely ineffective by 1916.ĭuring this period many of Europe's finest independent theatres began touring the United States these included the Abbey Theatre (1911), the Ballets Russes (1916), and Théâtre du Vieux Colombier (1917-1919). By 1900, the Syndicate monopolized the American theatre scene, and between 19, theatre became a mainly conservative and commercial venture. Theatrical producers Sam Nixon, Fred Zimmerman, Charles Frohman, Al Hayman, Marc Klaw, and Abraham Erlanger saw the opportunity to gain control of the American theatre and formed what came to be called "The Syndicate." The Syndicate purchased theatres across the country and blacklisted ones that refused to cooperate with its business practices. Henderson in her book, Theater in America, "The 'little-theater' movement, launched so spectacularly in Europe in the 1880s, finally reached America and stimulated the formation of groups whose posture was anti-Broadway and noisily experimental."īy 1895, touring companies became the primary source for theatrical entertainment in the United States. The movement came as a reaction to the monopolistic "Syndicate" theatre system as well as an attempt to join the growing discourse about non-commercial theatre. The roots of community theatre can be traced to the "Little Theatre" movement that started in the 1910s. While once a product of a movement to improve the artistic quality of theatrical productions, by the end of the twentieth century community theatre had become a venue more for community participation in the arts than a fertile source of avant-garde theatrical productions. The history of community theatre offers a unique perspective on the struggles between artistic endeavors and commercial profit in theatrical productions. Although the term "community theatre" has disparate meanings the term can be applied generally to theatres-whether professional or not-that draw from their communities. Community theatre represents the majority of theatres in the United States, including community playhouses and university and college programs. ![]()
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