The Theatre Management of Alexandre Placide in Charleston, 1794-1812.

812 Pages·2017·15 MB·English

by  Richard Phillip Sodders

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LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School
1983
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Richard Phillip Sodders
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Sodders, Richard Phillip, "The Theatre Management of Alexandre Placide in Charleston, 1794-1812.
(Volumes I and II) (South Carolina)." (1983). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3863.
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8318026
SODDERS, RICHARD PHILLIP
THE THEATRE MANAGEMENT OF ALEXANDRE PLACIDE IN CHARLESTON,
1794-1812. (VOLUMES I AND II)
The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and PH.D. 1983
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The Theatre Management
of Alexandre Placide
in Charleston, 1794-1812
Volume I
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
The Department of Speech Communication,
Theatre and Communication Disorders
by
Richard P. Sodders
B.S., Southwest Texas State University, 1967
M.A., Louisiana State University, 1973
May 1983
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author wishes to express his appreciation to Dr. Billy J.
Harbin for his guidance and patient assistance during the preparation
of this study. He wishes also to thank Dr. Gresdna Doty, Dr. John
Pennybacker, Dr. Harold Mixon, and Dr. Marchita Mauck for serving as
committee members and to acknowledge indebtedness to Dr. Julia Curtis
for her helpful suggestions on locating materials in Charleston.
n
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PREFACE
The purpose of this study is to investigate the career of
Alexandre Placide as theatre manager in Charleston, South Carolina,
between 1794 and 1812. During these years. Placide rose to become the
leading theatre figure in the city, and largely due to his efforts.
Charleston had the distinction of being one of four major theatre
centers in America during the earliest years of the nineteenth century.
The other three cities which supported active playhouses were
Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
Although Placide came to Charleston in 1794 to manage John Sollee's
French Theatre, he did not become the leading theatre manager of the
city until 1802, when his co-manager John B. Williamson died. From
then until his death in 1812, he reigned as the most successful and
productive theatre manager in Charleston's long history. During his
managership at the Charleston Theatre, he attempted to offer the city
the best productions and acting companies he could acquire. He engaged
many performers that have become notable figures in American theatre
history, including Giles Leonard Barrett, Miss Broadhurst, John Darley,
Jr., John Hodgkinson, Mrs. Thomas Marshall, Mrs. Charlotte Melmoth, Mrs.
John Oldmixon, William Twaits, Charles Whitlock, and Mrs. Elizabeth
Whitlock. In addition, beginning in 1806, Placide brought star actors
to the city to play short engagements, such as Thomas A. Cooper and
John Howard Payne. He also took his company to act in other towns,
especially Savannah and Richmond.
Despite Placide's significant contributions to theatre in the
South and America, his career has never been investigated. Three major
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