1884 (140) years ago

Revered actor John McCullough’s career ended at the McVicker’s Theater in Chicago when he was helped offstage after struggling to deliver his lines during a performance of The Gladiator on Sept. 29, 1884. Born in Ireland, McCullough moved to America at the age of 16 and began his career in Philadelphia. Reviews often noted the “manliness” of his performances, emphasizing his booming voice and muscular physique. His audience comprised primarily urban, working-class men at a time when women were attending the theatre in increasing numbers. “He may have drawn many a responsive cheer from man, but has never drawn a sympathetic tear from woman,” the New York Tribune wrote in 1855. It is now known that he suffered from paresis (muscular weakness) resulting from syphilis. He was subsequently committed to an asylum, where his decline continued. McCullough died a little more than a year after his McVicker performance. 

1909 (115 years ago)

Theatre and film director Elia Kazan was born on Sept. 7, 1909, in Istanbul, Turkey, to Greek parents. At a young age, Kazan’s family migrated to the United States. After dropping out of the Yale School of Drama, Kazan joined the Group Theatre, where he earned the nickname “Gadget” or “Gadge,” for his willingness to take on any role to support the work of the group. Some of his many notable directing credits include Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1952, Kazan, along with many other entertainment workers, was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which was investigating anyone thought to have Communist ties. Under pressure from the committee, Kazan provided the names of eight former Group Theatre members. In 1999, Kazan received an Honorary Academy Award before a polarized audience, with many standing and applauding and many refusing to applaud.

1924 (100 years ago)

In September 1924, W.E.B. Du Bois published his four criteria for “plays of a real Negro theatre” in The Crisis magazine. These plays, he wrote, must be, “1. ‘about us.’ That is, they must have plays which reveal Negro life as it is. 2. ‘By us.’ That is, they must be written by Negro authors who understand from birth and continued association just what it means to be a Negro today. 3. ‘For us.’ That is, the theatre must cater primarily to Negro audiences and be supported and sustained by their entertainment and approval. 4. ‘Near us.’ The theatre must be in a Negro neighborhood near the mass of ordinary Negro peoples.” Du Bois’s manifesto came in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement marked by an outpouring of artistic production and expression from Black artists.

1949 (75 years ago)

Actress, singer, comedian, and playwright Mae West returned to the stage at the Royale Theater in Manhattan in the title role of Diamond Lil, a play she also wrote. At the beginning of the play’s run in February, the house was selling out weeks in advance. In a rush to get to a television appearance to promote the show, West slipped on a bathroom rug and fractured her ankle. After taking a respite to recover, West stepped back into the role on Sept. 7. West’s plays were often closed due to their provocative content, but Diamond Lil, though only planned for a limited engagement, ran for 323 performances.

1974 (50 years ago)

Me and Bessie, a one-woman musical about blues singer Bessie Smith by Will Holt and Linda Hopkins, opened at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and ran through August 1975. (It was the show’s second production; the premiere was at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum the previous year.) Smith, nicknamed “Empress of the Blues,” was one of the most popular artists of the Jazz Age, felled by a car crash at the age of 43. Co-writer Hopkins also starred in the show, narrating the tragic history of Bessie Smith anecdotally. Hopkins opened the show with, “I ain’t Bessie. But you know there’s a lot of Bessie in me.”