An American First
On April 16, 1787, "the first American play" premiered at the John Street Theater in New York City. Titled The Contrast, it was written by 29-year-old Royall Tyler. It is considered the first American play ever performed publicly by a company of professional actors. An American play, in the sense that it was written by an American, with an American theme, for American audiences.
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| John Street Theater - Birthplace of American Theater would close in 1798 |
A Playwright Patriot
Royall Tyler was born in Boston on July 18, 1758. He came from a wealthy and prominent Massachusetts family. Tyler went to Latin School in Boston for his early education. He then attended Harvard to study law. During this time, he joined the Continental Army, where he received a commission and eventually became a major. Tyler was admitted to the bar in 1780 and joined John Adams's law firm. Tyler fell in love with the future president's daughter, but the engagement was broken off, reportedly because Adams disapproved of Tyler's "high-spirited temperament." John's attitude probably kept many potential suitors away.
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| General Benjamin Lincoln |
Back to the Bar. Back to the Army and on to the Theater
The end of the war and the birth of the republic in 1783 didn't take long to be followed by America's first crisis. In 1786, Shay's Rebellion erupted in New England. Many veterans rightly felt that the new republic didn't pay enough attention to their economic struggles and that their years of service were largely disregarded. A former Massachusetts soldier and struggling farmer, Daniel Shays, led a group of disgruntled veterans seeking justice for their grievances.
The response was swift, as a panicked government assembled forces to put down the rebels. In 1787, Tyler once again answered his country's call. He left his law practice to accept an appointment as aide-de-camp to General Benjamin Lincoln, tasked with suppressing Daniel Shays and his rebel soldiers. After Shays left Massachusetts (the heart of the rebellion) for New York, Tyler was sent to New York City to negotiate his capture and return to Massachusetts. And while there, like many others over the years, Tyler did something he had never done before—he went to see a play!
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| Shays Rebellion would set events leading to the birth of the American stage |
That's Entertainment
The theater was slow to become popular in America as a form of entertainment. There are records of Shakespeare performances in Williamsburg in the early 1700s, and generally, the Southern colonies — which were more receptive to all British customs — were quicker to embrace the theater. In the North, it was considered a sinful form of entertainment. Massachusetts actually passed a law in 1750 that banned theater performances, and by 1760, similar laws were in place in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, although performances sometimes slipped through with special permission from authorities.
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| Reprint with comment by modern historian Cynthia Kierner illustrates the enduring value of The Contrast as a vehicle for understanding mores of post-Revolutionary America. |
A Playwright is Born
In any case, Royall Tyler had never been to the theater before. On March 12, 1787, he attended a performance of Richard Sheridan's School for Scandal (1777). He was so inspired that in just three weeks, he wrote his own play, The Contrast. Barely a month later, The Contrast became the first play by an American writer to be professionally produced.
The Contrast was a comedy of manners, poking fun at Americans with European pretensions, and the main character, Jonathan, was the first "Yankee" stock character. This backwoodsman spoke in a distinctive American voice and mannerisms. Mixing such a character with sophisticates is a technique writers use to this day—the traditional "fish out of water."
Tyler did not pioneer this, but he did master it. And the results were compelling to late 18th-century audiences. The Contrast was a success. It was performed four times that month in New York, which was very unusual. Then it moved on to Baltimore and Philadelphia, where George Washington went to see it. The first citizen's approval added to the buzz both for the play and the stage in general.
Man of Letters
Tyler became one of the most accomplished men of letters in early America. While he kept practicing law, he wrote six other plays. Only four of these plays still exist today; three are biblical plays, and the fourth is another social satire, The Island of Barrataria. He also produced several verse and prose works, including a lively adventure novel, The Algerine Captive (1797).
The story is based on the memoir of a young man who experiences a series of misadventures that ultimately lead to his enslavement by Barbary pirates. Aside from its American themes, the book ends with a serious plea for Americans to unite. It went through more than one printing and is only the second American work to be printed in Britain.
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| Royall Tyler: jurist and author in late life |
Author & Attorney
Tyler's literary works were published anonymously. After all, the arts were still considered beneath the mainstream, and he was a serious jurist with a reputation to uphold. His works generated little income. He clearly created them out of love. Many modern authors, including this one, can relate to that situation! As a member of the legal profession, he aimed to correct the flaws and follies he satirized in his writing. He died in Brattleboro, Vermont.
The Seed of Modern Theater Long Forgotten
The success of The Contrast elevated contemporary drama and theatrical productions, making them highly popular among all classes. In a short time, they shifted from mild disdain to great respect and sometimes intense popularity. In that sense, the "arts" owe him a great deal. Certainly, the modern stage does. Yet I am sure few in the field know of Royall Tyler, the patriot and playwright who gave birth to their art form. I think a new rebellion is needed. A Royall rebellion, in fact. Maybe the "Tony" should be renamed the "Tyler?"
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| So should Tony become Tyler? |
