Mary Reynolds Aldis (1872–1949) was an American playwright and figure in the little theater movement who founded a small theater outside Chicago in the early 1910s.

Life and career

Mary Reynolds was born in 1872 in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Her birth year is contested, with one source listing 1869. She attended St. Mary's School in

Knoxville, Illinois Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,911 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area. Description Knoxville is located just southeast of the City of Galesburg. T ...

. In 1892, she married Arthur Taylor Aldis, a Chicago lawyer and real estate investor, and together settled in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and t ...

, a wealthy area north of Chicago. They became known as patrons of the arts and for their relationships with area writers such as

Edgar Lee Masters Edgar Lee Masters (August 23, 1868 – March 5, 1950) was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of '' Spoon River Anthology'', ''The New Star Chamber and Other Essays'', ''Songs and Satires'', ''The Great V ...

. Aldis was a prominent figure in the second wave of the Chicago Renaissance, a literary period between 1910 and the mid-1920s. Their Lake Forest residence became known as an

artists' colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission- ...

, where she converted a guest house into a small, 90-seat theater near her home. Between 1910 and 1915, the Aldis Playhouse's Lake Forest Players hosted amateur works by Aldis and others. They were reviewed as having "simple, truthful acting" and performed in Boston's

Toy Theatre Toy theater, also called paper theater and model theater (also spelt theatre, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences), is a form of miniature theater dating back to the early 19th century in Europe. Toy theaters were ...

. Aldis participated in the Chicago Players' Workshop, which presented Chicago playwrights. The Players also adapted from European one-acts and short stories for invited audiences. Aldis published a collection of her plays, ''Plays for Small Stages'', in 1915. Among those that Aldis wrote, produced, and performed, the 1915 ''Mrs. Pat and the Law'' is best known. These productions were contemporary with the

Chicago Little Theatre A theater company formed in 1912, the Chicago Little Theatre spearheaded and lent its name to a historic, popular wave in American Theater, the Little Theatre Movement. Founded in its namesake city by Ellen Van Volkenburg and Maurice Browne, the ...

. Aldis hosted plays by

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...

John Millington Synge Edmund John Millington Synge (; 16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909), popularly known as J. M. Synge, was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, essayist, and collector of folklores. As an important driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, Ir ...

, and arranged for

Augusta, Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish dramatist, Folklore, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre a ...

, of the Irish

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

to perform in Chicago. She was also involved in poetry. At Lake Forest, Aldis hosted

Harriet Monroe Harriet Monroe (December 23, 1860 – September 26, 1936) was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet, and patron of the arts. She was the founding publisher and long-time editor of ''Poetry'' magazine, which she established in 1912 ...

of ''

Poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

''. Aldis's own poetry appeared in that magazine,

Alfred Kreymborg Alfred Francis Kreymborg (December 10, 1883 – August 14, 1966) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, literary editor and anthologist. Early life and associations He was born in New York City to Hermann and Louisa Kreymborg (née Nasher) ...

's '' Others: A Magazine of the New Verse'', and anthologies by ''Others'' and Monroe's ''The New Poetry''. Aldis published her first poetry collection, ''Flashlights'', in 1916. She was a member of the

Society of Midland Authors The Society of Midland Authors is an association of published authors from twelve American states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. According to its constit ...

, multiple women's groups, and led an area visiting nurses association. Aldis died on June 20, 1949.

Works

Plays * ''Plays for Small Stages'' (1915) ** ''Mrs. Pat and the Law'' ** ''The Drama Class'' ** ''Extreme Unction'' ** ''Temperament'' * ''Mrs. Pat and the Law: A Play in One Act'' (1923) * ''An Heir at Large: A Play in Seven Scenes'' (1926) Fiction * ''The Princess Jack'' (1915) * ''Drift'' (1918) Poetry * ''Flashlights'' (1916)

References

External links

Mary Aldis full text
at

HathiTrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

Mary Reynolds Aldis Papers 1904–1929
at the

University of Chicago Library The University of Chicago Library is the library system of the University of Chicago, located on the university's campus in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the seventh largest academic library and the fourth largest private library in th ...

Mary Aldis Collection, 1910–1949
at

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducatio ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldis, Mary 1872 births 1949 deaths American dramatists and playwrights American women dramatists and playwrights American women poets People from Lake Forest, Illinois Writers from Chicago