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Theater Collections
Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection
Dates: ca.1843-1880
Extent: 19.5 linear ft (24 boxes)
Description: Dion Boucicault (1820-1890) was a prolific and innovative playwright, actor, producer, manager and director of the nineteenth-century, English-speaking stage. By his own account, Boucicault wrote, directed and acted in 250 plays, many of which were wildly popular in Ireland, England, Australia and the United States. A virtuoso at pleasing audiences, Boucicault developed many of the conventions of melodrama that shaped American drama for generations. He not only influenced the practices and conventions of his contemporaries but also brought important social and cultural issues of historical significance- such as race, political and economic issues- to the stage. The Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection primarily contains manuscript and printed plays. The collection consists of approximately 781 items, including printed and manuscript play scripts, sides, stage directions, letters, and musical scores. The collection also includes set design sketches, prompt books, photographs and select musical segments.