America’s First Regional Theatre

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 1-7

3. Building the House

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 9-28

4. Averting Disaster and Ignoring Cleveland

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 29-54

5. Learning Curve

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 55-73

6. Catch These Vandals!

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 75-93

7. Catering to Cleveland

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 95-120

8. Escaping No-Man’s-Land

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 121-141

9. The “Endangered Theatre”

   • Jeffrey Ullom

   Pages 143-173

10. A Place to Call Home

    • Jeffrey Ullom

    Pages 175-193

11. Conclusion: The New “No-Man’s-Land”

    • Jeffrey Ullom

    Pages 195-202

12. Back Matter

    Pages 203-276

    PDF

The Cleveland Play House has mirrored the achievements and struggles of both the city of Cleveland and the American theatre over the past one hundred years. This book challenges the established history (often put forward by the theatre itself) and long-held assumptions concerning the creation of the institution and its legacy.

• America
• building
• history
• history of literature
• play
• theatre

"Ullom's account of the Cleveland Play House's search for its identity provides a strong paradigm for how this kind of historical project should be done. Working with new archival material, America's First Regional Theatre is a glimpse into the complicated evolution of a cultural treasure. Well-researched, with a strong critical and analytical approach of looking at theatre history through the larger lens of sociology, economics, and politics." - David A. Crespy, University of Missouri, USA and author of Off-Off-Broadway Explosion (2003) and Richard Barr: The Playwrights Producer (2013)

"The history of Cleveland Play House is inseparable from that of the community it has served since 1915. Jeffrey Ullom tells the tale of a pioneering arts institution through a century of triumphs and tribulations, juxtaposed with the story of a once mighty, now resurgent metropolitan community. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of Cleveland Play House, the American theatre, and the Cleveland community." - Kevin Moore, Managing Director, Cleveland Play House

Jeffrey Ullom is Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre at Case Western Reserve University, USA.

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