The urban geography of theatre in a New South city: Memphis, 1890--1920
Item
-
Title
-
The urban geography of theatre in a New South city: Memphis, 1890--1920
-
Identifier
-
d_2009_2013:0c1ea3c0e27e:11321
-
identifier
-
11690
-
Creator
-
Huff, Stephen K.,
-
Contributor
-
Judith Milhous
-
Date
-
2012
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Theater | Theater history | African American | Memphis | theatre | Theatrical Syndicate | urban geography | U.S. South
-
Abstract
-
This case study of theatres in Memphis during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries reads the local history of theatre with and against larger narratives of national theatre history that emphasize the industrialization of U.S. theatre and its geographical centralization in New York City. Key questions include: What roles did the building and establishment of theatres play in the urban geography of period Memphis, and vice versa? And, how did the consolidation of the national theatre industry affect theatres in Memphis? A narrower geographic focus on a mid-sized U.S. city allows for a detailed investigation of several different types of theatres---including legitimate, vaudeville, and African American theatre---and their relationships to and contradictions with the bigger picture of U.S. theatre during the period, which would be more difficult to do with a larger city. It also provides for more thorough descriptions of the social and cultural contexts in which these theatres were created, particularly with regard to class and race.;The structure of the argument is guided by Henri Lefebvre's dialectical triad of perceived, conceived, and lived space. After laying out the plan of the dissertation in the first chapter, the second chapter maps out the city of Memphis, locating the places of performance within its urban landscape in order to reveal the spatial networks---or perceived spaces---involved in theatre-going at the time. In developing the stories of the theatres themselves throughout the last three chapters, I have employed two specific, time-bound conceptions of space---"the New South city" and "the Road"---to discuss the establishment of local theatres and national touring circuits. In this way, I have attempted to show the connections and tensions between local and national events and developments. If I have succeeded, the reader will have a better idea of the relationship of theatre and urban space in Memphis during this period as it was directly, palpably lived.;This dissertation provides a complex picture of U.S. theatre in microcosm during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries---one that can help to both broaden and challenge larger narratives on the subject.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
2009_2013.csv
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
-
Program
-
Theatre
