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Footlights Across America
Hardcover
20th Century United States HistoryTheater History
ISBN13: 9781025486352
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 450
Weight: 1.77
Height: 1.00 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Footlights Across America offers a comprehensive and foundational study of the non-commercial theater movement that swept across the United States in the early twentieth century. Written by influential theater critic and producer Kenneth Macgowan, the work explores the vibrant emergence of Little Theatres, community playhouses, and university drama departments as vital alternatives to the commercial dominance of Broadway. Macgowan provides an in-depth survey of how regional theater became a cornerstone of American cultural life, fostering local talent and experimental storytelling.
Through meticulous research and firsthand observation, the book examines the technical, financial, and artistic challenges faced by these independent groups. It highlights the shift toward a more democratic and accessible form of dramatic art, emphasizing the importance of local engagement in the performing arts. For students of theater history and enthusiasts of the American stage, Footlights Across America remains an essential record of a transformative era in performing arts, capturing the spirit of innovation and the grassroots passion that reshaped the nation's theatrical landscape.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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