Theatrical Thescope: The Evolution Of The American Theater

Before the life on Broadway, before famous hit musicals such as the Sweeney Todd, Phantom, Chicago and Annie, that drove people into New York to see America’s professional theatre. The America’s professional theatre was spread throughout the country. In the mid- to late-19th century, actors and managers would put together a company and tours playing for weeks at a time in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and they also performed in little towns along the way. But then came the Theatrical Syndicate, which was often referred to as “The Syndicate.” Which composed of six men that would change the United States theatre forever.

The Theatrical Syndicate was the leading force of the American theatre for about twenty years. The organization existed from 1896 to 1916 and it composed of six men (Marc Klaw, A. L. Erlanger, Charles Frohman, Al Hayman, Samuel Nixon and J. Fred Zimmerman), and for fourteen years they relished a virtual monopoly. Forming the Syndicate seemed to be a logical step in the evolution of the American theatre. As the original stock company and the visiting star systems disappearing, and the rapid expansion of the

The Shuberts brothers got their foot in doors of the American theatre by accumulating enough theatres to be independent of the Syndicate and challenge them directly. They attack their competitor through publicity campaigns, one included the great Sarah Bernhardt, she was considered to be one of America’s greatest actresses, touring across the country in second-class houses and in tents because the Syndicate would not allow her to perform. The Shuberts brothers also welcomed actors and companies that didn’t want to book exclusively with them and they often produced works of a similar nature to those being handled by the Syndicate, but the Shuberts made sure their offering had higher production