The Antebellum Era
(1800-1848)
The Antebellum Era continued the trend of focus on the entertaining aspects of shows rather than on giving them any real depth. Entertainment was the number one priority of theaters and performers, as well as to audience members. Additionally, this era marked the emergence of the popular but now controversial form of entertainment of blackface, which had a massive impact on culture and how society viewed other races.
The Park Theater was built in New York City in 1798, and became a very popular source of entertainment. Its success led to the establishment of more theaters in the city during the Antebellum era.
ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE OF THE ANTEBELLUM ERA
As urbanization and standards of living increased, shows grew in popularity because people had a little extra money to spend on entertainment. The set up of theaters was still very similar to how it had been since the colonial era, though the middle class had grown in size and in confidence. Those who sat in the pit often interacted with the actors, yelling things at them and occasionally mobbing them. There was no expectation for the audience to be silent, and there weren’t any ways to dim the lights in a theater, so the audience was as much a part of the production as the actors. This highlights the importance of the entertaining aspects of plays during this time - if things weren’t entertaining, the audience would react negatively with anything from shouting to violence, so being entertaining was the most important part of a show.
The Antebellum era was a period of increased audience involvement in plays for entertainment - this was when the tradition of throwing rotten produce like tomatoes and eggs at performers first began. This usually came from the middle class, who sat in the pit, which was closest to the stage.
The Antebellum era was a period of increased audience involvement in plays for entertainment - this was when the tradition of throwing rotten produce like tomatoes and eggs at performers first began. This usually came from the middle class, who sat in the pit, which was closest to the stage.
the rising popularity of blackface
Many of the most popular shows during this time were blackface minstrel shows. Specifically, white actor Thomas Dartmouth Rice’s character, Jim Crow, was very popular across and even beyond America. Jim Crow was a caricature of a clumsy, stupid slave who Rice performed jokes and songs as in a stereotypical slave dialect. The act was incredibly popular among white audiences across the US as well as in Great Britain - so popular that people began using “Jim Crow” as a derogatory term for blacks. This is a huge example of how theater was focused on giving people what they wanted and being entertaining for audiences rather than focusing on social change. Because the majority of audience members were Democratic Republicans during this time, theater was generally very democratic, discriminating against African Americans and women who wanted to attend by forcing them to stay in the gallery, the worst seating. This led theater to encourage the racist ideals of viewers at the time.
