Drama in Colonial America

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DramainColonialAmerica
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Religious Themes

• New England had deep religious beliefs
• Many people had come seeking religious freedom
  and passed that religion on to their children
• The people wanted all of their artistic
• works to be religious
• If they were not religious enough,
• they would be banned
• The Puritans believed that theater went
• against the Ten Commandments

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Mummers Play

• Also known as mumming
• A religious play performed in England and brought
  to America
• A troupe of actors would go from
• house to house presenting a play,
• or sometimes perform them in
• the streets
• Usually perfomed at Christmas

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Impact from England

• Mummers plays
• British professional actors formed a group to
  begin touring in the colonies
• The works of William Shakespeare
• were performed
• during the American Revolution,
• British soldiers presented plays
• (mainly attacking the colonies)

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Why is there little drama in Colonial America?

• Not religious
• Many colonies banned theater based on their
  Puritan beliefs and their interpretation of the
  Ten Commandments
• Hard living conditions
• People did not have time or money to sit and
  watch drama
• Sparse living conditions
• Lack of nice things and people were spread out
• Lack of patronage (people who would pay to see
  the plays)
• Lack of trained actors
• Sometimes the government tried to close
• down the theaters (for example, during the
• Revolution, theaters were closed down
• because they were thought to be too
  extravagant during the war)