The Old American Company was an American theatre company. It was the first fully professional theatre company to perform in North America. It also played a vital role in the theatre history of Jamaica. It was founded in 1752 and disbanded in 1805. It was known as the Hallam Company (1752–1758), the American Company (1758–1785) and the Old American Company (1785–1805). With a few temporary exceptions, the Company enjoyed a

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

monopoly of professional theatre in the United States until 1790.

History

Hallam Company

The company was organised by William Hallam, former proprietor of the New Wells Theatre in London, and was led by his brother

Lewis Hallam Lewis Hallam (circa 1714–1756) was an English-born actor and theatre director in the colonial United States. Career Hallam is thought to have been born in about 1714 and possibly in Dublin. His father Thomas Hallam was also an actor who wa ...

. Their company consisted of 12 adults and 3 children, drawn from English actors of "modest accomplishment". They arrived by the vessel ''Charming Sally'' at Yorktown, Virginia, on 2 June 1752, and made their early performances in nearby Williamsburg. Their first performance, ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', is generally considered to be the first professional staging of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in America. In 1753 the Hallam company moved to New York, and in 1754 they played in Philadelphia and in Charleston, South Carolina.

First Jamaica Tour

In 1755 the company moved to Jamaica in the West Indies. In Jamaica, the performed in the 'New Theatre' in the King's Store on Harbour Street in Kingston with the company of David Douglass.Errol Hill,
The Jamaican Stage, 1655-1900: Profile of a Colonial Theatre
' On Lewis' death, David Douglass married his widow

Sarah Hallam Douglass Sarah Hallam Douglass (d. Philadelphia, 1773) was an English-born American stage actress and theatre director. She was married to Lewis Hallam, with whom she travelled to America to perform in his company in 1752. This was the first permanent the ...

. The company merged with the company of David Douglass. In 1758, the company returned to tour the mainland, as the "American Company".Morrison, p.231

American Company

Lewis' son, Lewis Hallam Jr., eighteen at the time of the American Company's first tour, took leading roles alongside Douglass. Lewis Jr.'s style was described as declaratory rather than realistic, but he was much admired and became known as America's leading Shakespearean interpreter. Douglass had his limitations: one Alexander Graydon described him as "rather a decent than shining actor". However, he was a capable manager and he gave North America its first Falstaff and King John. Within the repertoire was ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

'', which proved a popular vehicle for two of the company's actresses, Margaret Cheer and Nancy Hallam. In Quaker and Puritan areas, the company encountered religious opposition to theatre in general. At Rhode Island in 1761 they were obliged to perform Othello disguised as "a series of moral dialogues".Morrison, p. 232

Second Jamaica Tour

In 1774, the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

banned theatre entirely, and the company resettled in Jamaica. By that time, Hugh F. Ranking calculates that the company had performed at least 180 times, their repertoire having included fourteen of Shakespeare's plays. The Company achieved great success in Jamaica, as the island had a great interest for theatre but no professional theater had existed since they left sixteen years prior. Finding the old playhouse in Kingston not sufficient to their needs, the company successfully asked the authorities to construct the

Kingston Theatre Kingston Theatre, was a theatre in Kingston, Jamaica between 1775 and 1838. It was a major cultural center of the island during its duration and had a good reputation also outside of the island, giving Jamaica a name of cultural sophistication, a ...

in Kingston, where they performed three or four times a week from 1775 onward: they also constructed theatres in

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label= Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. T ...

and

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore, all of which form the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, h ...

. David Douglass even served in the office of Master of the Revels, responsible of the representational festivities of the Governor, in 1779–80, and Lewis Hallam Jr. in 1781–1783.

Old American Company

After the peace of 1783, the company left Jamaica in July 1785 and returned to New York, with Lewis Hallam Jr. as the leading actor, and John Henry as his co-manager. The theatre ban was still in place, and until it was lifted, the company officially named its plays "recitals", operatic performances and similar euphemisms for theater plays. The Old American Company virtually had monopoly of theatre performances in the United States until 1790, when Thomas Wade West and John Bignall split from the Company and formed the Virginia Comedians, performing in Virginia and South Carolina, followed the next year by the foundation of the Philadelphia Company of

Thomas Wignell Thomas Wignell (1753 – 21 February 1803) was an English-born actor and theatre manager in the colonial United States. Early years Thomas Wignell was born into a working theatre family. He was born in England to his parents John and Henrietta ...

and

Owen Morris Owen Morris (born in Caernarfon, Wales) is a Welsh record producer who has worked with rock bands including Oasis, the Fratellis, Ash, the View, Loso and the Verve. Biography Morris started working in the music industry as a sound engineer at ...

. After this, the Old American Company was essentially active in New York: first at the

John Street Theatre John Street Theatre, situated at 15–21 John Street, sometimes called "The Birthplace of American Theatre", was the first permanent theatre in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York.''The Oxford Companion to the Theatre'' (Fourth Editio ...

, and from 1798 at the Park Theatre. In 1805, the Company went bankrupt.

Legacy

The Company enjoyed a

monopoly on professional theatrical performances in North America until the 1790s. In many places, they were the first professional company to perform theatre, and they founded playhouses for their use in many of the cities and towns they visited, often the very first playhouses in those places. They toured from Newport in Rhode Island to Williamsburg in Virginia, and between Annapolis, Philadelphia and New York. They founded a playhouse in New York in 1754, the 'New Theatre' playhouse in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

in 1754, the

Southwark Theatre in Philadelphia Southwark Theatre, was a theatre in Philadelphia, founded in 1766. It played a significant part in the Culture of Philadelphia as well as the United States, being the first permanent theatre in Philadelphia and the first permanent theatre in the ...

in 1766, the

in New York in 1767, and the New Theatre in Annapolis in 1770.Odai Johnson, William J. Burling, James A. Coombs,
The Colonial American Stage, 1665-1774: A Documentary Calendar
'

Managers

* 1752-1756:

* 1756-1758:

* 1758-1779: David Douglass * 1779-1796: Lewis Hallam Jr. * 1780-1794: John Henry, Co-manager * 1794-1799: John Hodgkinson, Co-manager * 1796-1805:

William Dunlap William Dunlap (February 19, 1766 – September 28, 1839) was a pioneer of American theater. He was a producer, playwright, and actor, as well as a historian. He managed two of New York City's earliest and most prominent theaters, the John Str ...

Members

Hallam Company in 1752

In 1752, when the Hallam Company departed from London and arrived in Williamsburg in Virginia, the Company had twelve adult members: *

* Sarah Hallam * William Rigby * 'Mrs. Rigby' * Thomas Clarkson * 'Mrs. Clarkson' * Mary Palmer * John Singleton * 'Mr. Herbert' * 'Mr. Winnell' or Wynel * William Adcock * Patrick Malone

American Company in 1766

In November 1766, when the

opened, the American Company had the following members: * Adam Allyn * Margaret Cheer * David Douglass *

* 'Miss Dowthwaite' * James Godwin * Lewis Hallam Jr. * Catharine Maria Harman * 'Mr. Mathews' * Owen Morris * Mary Morris * 'Mr. Tomlinson' * Anna Tomlinson * Sarah Wainwright * Thomas Wall *

Stephen Woolls Stephen Woolls (1729-1799) was an American actor and singer, and member of the American and Old American Company. Woolls was born in Bath in England. He first appeared on stage in New York at the John Street Theatre on December 7, 1767, playin ...

By October 1767, new members were: * Patrick Malone * 'Mr. Roberts' * John Henry * Ms. Storers (Ann,

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

and Fanny)

American Company in 1773

In 1773–74, when the American Company departed to Jamaica, the Company had the following members: * 'Mr. Byerley' * 'Mr. Dermot' * David Douglass * Richard Goodman * Lewis Hallam Jr. * Nancy Hallam * Catharine Maria Harman * John Henry * 'Mr. Johnson' * Owen Morris *

Elizabeth Walker Morris Elizabeth Walker Morris (died 17 April 1826 in Philadelphia), was an English-born American stage actress. She was engaged in the Old American Company. Elizabeth Walker Morris was married to the actor Owen Morris (d. 1809) in his second marriage. ...

* Charles Parker * Mary Richardson * 'Mr. Roberts' * Miss Storer (Ann,

or Fanny) * Thomas Wall * 'Mrs. Wall' * Stephen Woolls * George Hughues * Sarah Wainwright The cast lists mention

, Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Raynard, Mr. Sales, Mr. Mores, Mr. and Mrs. Godwin in the period of 1779-82.

Old American Company in 1788

In 1788, around the time when the theatre ban was lifted in the United States, the American Company had the following members: * Lewis Hallam Jr. * John Henry *

Maria Henry Maria Henry née Storer (died 25 April 1795 in Philadelphia), was an American stage actress. She was engaged in the Old American Company.Dunlap, William, A history of the American theatre' Maria Henry was the youngest of the four Storer sisters, a ...

* Stephen Woolls * Owen Morris *

* Charles Biddle * 'Mr. J. Kenna' * 'Mrs. Kenna' * 'Miss Kenna' * Eliza Tuke * 'Mrs. Hamilton' * 'Mrs. Williamsson' * Joseph Harper * 'Mrs. Harper' * Fanny Storer Other members included John Martin (from 1790), referred to as the first American-born actor. In 1792, John Hodgkinson joined.

Old American Company in 1798

In 1798, when the American Company moved into Park Theatre in New York, the Company had the following members (listed in order of salary): * Lewis Hallam Jr. * Eliza Hallam * John Johnson * Mrs. Johnson * Georgina George Oldmixon * Thomas Apthorpe Cooper *

Charlotte Melmoth Mrs Charlotte Melmoth (c. 1749 – 1823) was an 18th-century English actress, the estranged spouse of British actor/writer Samuel Jackson Pratt ("Courtney Melmoth"), and known as "The Grande Dame of Tragedy on the Early American Stage". After a ...

* Joseph Tyler * Joseph Jefferson I * John Martin * Mirvan Hallam * Ann Storer Hogg * John Hogg *

Juliana Westray Juliana Westray (1778–1838) was an American stage actress.Dunlap, William, A history of the American theatre' Juliana Westray was born in England. She was the sister of the actor Ellen Westray, and married the theatre manager William Burke ...

* Ellen Westray * 'Mr. Lee' * 'Mrs. Seymour' * 'Mr. Seymour' * John D. Miller * 'Miss. Hogg' * 'Mrs. Collins'

Old American Company in 1804

In 1804, the last season of the American Company, the Company had the following members: * Lewis Hallam Jr. * Eliza Hallam * John E. Harwood * John Johnson * Elizabeth Ford Johnson * Joseph Tyler * Ann Storer Hogg' * John Hogg * John Martin * John Claude * 'Mrs. Claude' * Joseph Harper * 'Mrs. Harper' * John Darley * Ellen Darley * 'Mr. Darby' *

* Mirvan Hallam * 'Mr. Shapter' * 'Mr. Robinson' * 'Mr. M'Donald'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old American Company Theatre in the United States 18th century in the United States 18th-century theatre 18th century in Jamaica