[, F/ V C Edna Hammer Cooley 1986 APPROVAL SHEET
WOMEN IN AMERICAN THEATRE, 1850-1870: A STUDY IN PROFESSIONAL EQUITY by Edna Hammer Cooley I i i Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland in parti.al fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ~ /, ,, ·' I . 1986 I/ '/ ' ·, Cop~ I , JI ,)() I co uI (~; 1 ,[, f/ v c Edna Hammer Cooley 1986 APPROVAL SHEET Title of Dissertation: Women in American Theatre, 1850-1870: A Study in Professional Equity Name of Candidate: Edna Hammer Cooley Doctor of Philosophy, 1986 Dissertation and Approved: Dr. Roger Meersman Professor Dept. of Communication Arts & Theatre Date Approved: .;;Jo .i? p ,vt_,,/ /9Y ,6 u ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: Women in American Theatre, 1850- 1870~ A Study_ in Professional Equi!:Y Edna Hammer Cooley, Doctor of Philosophy, 1986 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Roger Meersman Professor of Communication Arts and Theatre Department of Communication Arts and Theatre This study supports the contention that women in the American theatre from 1850 to 1870 experienced a unique degree of professional equity with men in the atre. The time-frame has been selected for two reasons: (1) actresses active after 1870 have been the subject of several dissertations and scholarly studies, while relatively little research has been completed on women active on the American stage prior to 1870, and (2) prior to 1850 there was limited theatre activity in this country and very few professional actresses. A general description of mid-nineteenth-century theatre and its social context is provided, including a summary of major developments in theatre in New York and other cities from 1850 to 1870, discussions of the star system, the combination company, and the mid-century audience.
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