1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910484303003321

Autore

Sutherland Lucie

Titolo

George Alexander and the Work of the Actor-Manager / / by Lucie Sutherland

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2020

ISBN

3-030-40935-X

Edizione

[1st ed. 2020.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (305 pages) : illustrations

Collana

Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History

Disciplina

792.020924

301 (edition:22)

Soggetti

Theater—History

Theater

Actors

Theatre History

Theatre Industry

Performers and Practitioners

National/Regional Theatre and Performance

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

1. Introduction -- 2. George Alexander and the St. James’s ‘brand’ -- 3. The actor-manager system: autonomy and collaboration -- 4. The actor-manager system: the role of the playwright -- 5. Managing risk: cross-sector adaptation -- 6. The Legacy of Alexander at the St. James’s Theatre.

Sommario/riassunto

In the first book-length study of the work and legacy of West End actor-manager George Alexander since the 1930s, George Alexander and the Work of the Actor Manager examines the key part this figure played in presenting new drama by authors including Oscar Wilde and Henry James. The book sheds new light on the figure of the actor-manager, assessing in detail the influence of Alexander within and beyond his time. At the St. James’s Theatre in London between 1891 and 1918, through a range of strategies including the support of new writers, and adaptation of fiction to the stage, Alexander sustained professional status through practices that continue to be reflected in



the cultural industries today. A range of evidence is employed including production reviews, anecdotal accounts, financial records, and personal correspondence, to reveal how he operated as a business entrepreneur as well as an artistic innovator.