Theatre Culture and Temperance Reform in Nineteenth-Century America

John Frick examines the role of temperance drama in the overall scheme of American nineteenth-century theatre using examples from mainstream productions and amateur theatricals. Nineteenth-century America witnessed a major movement against alcohol consumption when the temperance cause became one of national concern. As part of the temperance movement a new genre of theatrical literature and performance developed professional as well as amateur to help publicize its beliefs. Frick also compares the American genre to its British counterpart.