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The Actor-Manager Career of William Charles Macready This dissertation has been 63—4638 microfilmed exactly as received BASSETT, Abraham Joseph, 1930- THE ACTOR-MANAGER CAREER OF WILLIAM CHARLES ]VIACREADY. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1962 Speech—Theater University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE ACTOR-MANAGEE CAREER OF WILLIAM CHARLES MACREADY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Abraham Joseph Bassett, B. A., M. A. The Ohio State University 1962 Approved by Department of Speech PLEASE NOTE: Figure pages are not original copy. They tend to "curl". Filmed in the best possible way. University Microfilms, Inc. PREFACE From a literary perspective, the first half of the nineteenth century was an era neither of great plays nor of great dramatists. It has often been assumed that because the dramatic literature was a derelict wallowing in the heavy swells of the times, the theatre itself was foundering and unworthy of more than a cursory glance. While there may be some truth to this judgment, it is a generalization that does not do justice to what is otherwise an exciting and complex period in the history of the theatre. There have been greater periods of dramatic writing, and perhaps of individual acting or of scene design. Without doubt, the theatre had been financially stronger in other times. But in no way should this negate either the importance or vitality of the theatre in the first half of the century. The period was one of con­ stant transition and adaptation to new social and economic conditions. New methods were being evolved and old methods discarded. If the theatre at times seemed to founder, it was only because of the violence of the tempest caused by the changing winds of the times. It is in this period that William Charles Macready (1795-1873) lived, worked, amd contributed to the theatre. The four decades of his professional life span from 181 O to I85I, and during the last twenty years he was "the eminent Tragedian," the outstanding practitioner of his art. William Macready was a great actor emd cam stand comparison with the whole galaxy of nineteenth-century English aind American actors, ii including the Keans, the Kembles, the Booths, e^ However, it is the four theatrical seasons in which Macready served as actor-manager that comprise the scope of this study. As the lessee of Covent Garden Theatre from 1837 to 1839, and of Drury Lane Theatre from l84l to l843. Macready was the principal actor of the company and the manager of the theatre. He was totally responsible for all decisions concerning the choice of plays aind the manner of their production. It is my impression that the contributions made by Macready as an actor-manager have been largely overlooked. Partly, this neglect is due to the fact that many of the research materials concerning Macready's theatre have only in recent years been brought to the attention of historians. The neglect is also due to an earlier historical concept that the first half of the nineteenth century was an era in itself, and not an integral part of the history that led to the development of the modern theatre. In an effort to explain modern theatre practices, some earlier historians and teachers looked only as far back as Henry Irving. However, M. Glen Wilson's excellent dissertation on Charles Kean clearly indicated that Kean must be seen as a precursor to Irving, and that Irving fol­ lowed theatrical traditions and practices that were "pioneered" by Kean. Every man is a product of the events and personalities that have preceded him, and as Kean was precursor to Irving, so Macready was pre­ cursor to Kean. The basic objective of this study, then, is to examine the managerial career of William Charles Macready so that his contributions to the theatre may be accurately appraised. It is not the contention of this study that all modem theatrical practices can be traced to ill Macready, or even that Macready is entirely responsible for those practices that can be traced to him. Macready was influenced by those who preceded him. Further, as every man influences his times and the times that follow, every man must operate within the fraunework of current trends and ideas. Macready was influenced not only by what had gone before in the theatre, but by contemporary tendencies and attitudes which he could not control and perhaps did not even perceive or under­ stand. Macready stands as an early pace-setter to certain modern theatre practices, a man who picked up trends and tendencies and refined them, perhaps not to their final stage of perfection, but considerably along that path. For example, the m o d e m theatre's emphasis on ensemble acting and integrated production is generally traced to the influence that the Meiningen troupe had on Stanislavski. Wilson, however, points out that the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen had watched auid admired Charles Kean's Shakesperian productions at the Princess's Theatre, and had derived many of his concepts from Kean. This study will show that "ensemble acting" and integrated productions were among the basic principles of Macready's managerial concepts, and that there was a very direct relationship between Kean and Macready. This relationship was both general and specific. Generally, Macready was artistically successful as a manager, and his carefully evolved principles of staging and ensemble acting were so widely acclaimed that no later actor- manager could hope to operate outside the framework of those principles and hope to be successful. Specifically, there is conclusive evidence that Charles Kean pilfered scene designs, costume designs and prompt iv books from Macready, and used these materials either as a basis for his productions or as a point of departure. Thus, the historical development of certain modern staging principles, such as ensemble acting, can be traced from Stanislavski to Meiningen to Kean to Macready. In spite of Macready's influence and importance, comparatively little has been written about the man as an actor-manager. His career as manager is briefly examined as a part of studies of his whole career by William Archer (l8$4) and J. C. Trewin (1955)« Archer, in his excellent little biography, devotes about thirty pages to Macready's managerial career, and J. C. Trewin's Mr. Macready covers the scune material but in a romanticized manner. G. C. Odell’s Shakespeare from Betterton to Irving adequately surveys Macready's restoration of Shakesperian text. Most writers who discuss Macready tend to conclude that the tragedian had a prickly and unpleasant personality, and choose to pass him over as a "second-rate but meticulous" person, to quote Odell. The judgment is unfortunate, for it obscures Macready's real contributions. The judgment is also unfortunate because it seems to be based on a misreading of the Macready diaries, in which the actor- manager confided his innermost thoughts and feelings. He revealed in his diaries thoughts that he probably would not have expressed to his most trusted confidants, his wife and his sister. Macready seemed to have used his diaries to lessen the pains and frustrations which he encountered in his professional and personal life. Macready was a per­ fectionist expecting as much from other people as he did from himself. In this study, William Charles Macready's managerial career is examined in detail in three main areas: (l) the manner in which he staged the plays, (2) the financial aspects of his management, and (3) the critical eind public reactions to his efforts. Before elaborating on these main areas, it may be advantageous to point out what is not at­ tempted in this study. This is not a study of the personality of the man, although it is inevitable that at times his personal traits and characteristics should come to light. Insofar as a great deal of the information is obtained from Macready's diaries, some attention is focused on his personality. No attempt has been made to divorce en­ tirely the man's actions from his personality, but at the same time, there has been no systematic delving into his character. Further, this is not a literary study of the plays of the time, nor those produced by Macready, eilthough again, it is inescapable that certain literary facts and judgments should come forth. In discussing the plays— especially the Shakesperian plays— only a little attention has been paid to the question of line excisions, rearrangements, and interpolations. G. C. Odell in Shakespeare from Betterton to Irving has sufficiently documented Macready's restoration of Shakesperian texts. Finally, this is not a study of Macready's acting or of the performances given by his acting company. Such a study, while it would be of great interest, would lengthen and confuse the primary goal of this dissertation— which is to examine the managerial career of William Macready. Macready's principles of management and contributions to the theatre can adequately be determined by a detailed examination of the three factors enumerated above. First, the manner in which Macready staged the plays will reveal his attitude toward scenery and scenic appurtenances, ensemble acting, grouping, directing and rehearsals, and the relationship of the mise en-seene to the entire production. In addition, Macready emphasis on the production of Shakespeare will be brought forth. Second, the financial aspects of Macready's management are examined in as great detail as possible since the relationship between financial success or failure influences the principles of management. No theatre which is operated on the free enterprise system without subsidy can be fully understood without considering the financial situation of the theatre.
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