American Theatre: This Month in Theatre History
Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text, organized by year.This is a “hard stop” – meaning I’m summarizing only what’s in the text and won’t add external information.
1900 (125 years ago)
* The Illinois Theater opened on October 15th with Barbara Frietchie starring Julia Marlowe.
* Al Hayman and Will J. Davis negotiated a 99-year lease for the theatre.
* Before becoming a theatre, the building was the Jackson Street Armory and an event venue.
* The Illinois Theatre was a chicago home base for the Ziegfeld Follies and hosted various performances and films.
* It transitioned to showing only motion pictures in the mid-1920s.
* The theatre closed during the early Great Depression and was demolished in 1936 – 62 years before the lease expired.
1915 (110 years ago)
* Playwright Arthur Miller was born on October 17th.
* Miller’s notable works include Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, and A View from the Bridge.
* He was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1956.
* The Crucible was seen as an allegory for the Red Scare.
* Miller refused to name Communist Party members during his HUAC hearing, was found in contempt of Congress, blacklisted, and denied a passport.
1965 (60 years ago – First Instance)
* Ron G. Davis, founder of the San Francisco Mime Troupe (SFMT), was on trial October 27th for performing without a permit.
* SFMT’s permit was revoked due to the alleged vulgarity of their play.
* Davis declared they would “perform an arrest” before being arrested onstage with two others.
* davis was found guilty, sentenced to a 60-day suspended sentence, and one year of probation.
* SFMT held fundraisers to cover Davis’s court costs.
1965 (60 years ago - Second instance)
* The Peasant Theatre (El Teatro Campesino) was founded amidst protest.
* Luis Valdez, a former SFMT member, went to Delano, California, to support the Grape Strike and pitch a theatre institution to Cesar Chavez.
* Valdez created El Teatro Campesino to support and entertain farm workers during the Delano Grape strike, using the picket line as a stage.
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