Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Bernth Lindfors
Publisher: University Rochester Press
ISBN: 1580463819
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
The first widely available biography of this important black Victorian-age actor, Ira Aldridge: The Early Years, 1807-1833 details the early life and career of this New York-born thespian as he began to act on the British stage. Ira Aldridge: The Early Years, 1807-1833 chronicles the rise of one of the modern world's first black classical actors, as he ascended from an impoverished childhood in New York City to a career as a celebrated thespian onthe British stage. After a successful debut in London in 1825, Aldridge began touring the British provinces, billing himself grandiloquently as the "African Roscius," and attracting crowds with his powerful presence and style. He received accolades not only as a tragedian in classic roles such as Othello and Oroonoko but also as a comic actor in popular farces and musicals. In 1833, when a bill to abolish slavery was being debated in Parliament, he was called back to London to perform at one of the city's most prestigious theaters, where his appearance, now under his own name but also billed as "a native of Senegal," created a great deal of controversy. In dealing with Aldridge's emergence as a professional actor in the United Kingdom, Lindfors here records in detail the ups and downs of his itinerant existence in a world where no theatergoer had ever seen anyone like him on stage before. Aldridgewas genuinely a unique phenomenon in Britain at a pivotal point in history. Bernth Lindfors is Professor Emeritus of English and African Literatures, University of Texas at Austin, and editor of Ira Aldridge: The African Roscius (University of Rochester Press, 2007).

Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Bernth Lindfors
Publisher: University Rochester Press
ISBN: 1580463819
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book

Book Description
The first widely available biography of this important black Victorian-age actor, Ira Aldridge: The Early Years, 1807-1833 details the early life and career of this New York-born thespian as he began to act on the British stage. Ira Aldridge: The Early Years, 1807-1833 chronicles the rise of one of the modern world's first black classical actors, as he ascended from an impoverished childhood in New York City to a career as a celebrated thespian onthe British stage. After a successful debut in London in 1825, Aldridge began touring the British provinces, billing himself grandiloquently as the "African Roscius," and attracting crowds with his powerful presence and style. He received accolades not only as a tragedian in classic roles such as Othello and Oroonoko but also as a comic actor in popular farces and musicals. In 1833, when a bill to abolish slavery was being debated in Parliament, he was called back to London to perform at one of the city's most prestigious theaters, where his appearance, now under his own name but also billed as "a native of Senegal," created a great deal of controversy. In dealing with Aldridge's emergence as a professional actor in the United Kingdom, Lindfors here records in detail the ups and downs of his itinerant existence in a world where no theatergoer had ever seen anyone like him on stage before. Aldridgewas genuinely a unique phenomenon in Britain at a pivotal point in history. Bernth Lindfors is Professor Emeritus of English and African Literatures, University of Texas at Austin, and editor of Ira Aldridge: The African Roscius (University of Rochester Press, 2007).

The Story of Trailblazing Actor Ira Aldridge

The Story of Trailblazing Actor Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Glenda Armand
Publisher: Story of
ISBN: 9781643790084
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
Ira Aldridge dreamed of being on stage, performing the great works of William Shakespeare. Through perseverance and determination, Ira became one of the most celebrated Shakespearean actors in Europe, and a public supporter of the abolitionist movement.

Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Martin Hoyles
Publisher: Hansib Pub.
ISBN: 9781906190033
Category : Actors
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
Ira Aldridge was one of the most celebrated actors of the 19th century, performing in all the major towns across the UK and winning international fame in Europe. He was most famous for his portrayal of Othello, but also acted in many other roles in a career spanning 40 years. He was the first black actor to play many white roles including Richard III and King Lear. Now, after 2007 marked the 200th anniversary of his birth, is the perfect time to celebrate his achievements, not only as a brilliant actor, but also as a valiant campaigner against slavery.

Red Velvet

Red Velvet PDF Author: Lolita Chakrabarti
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472582446
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
It's like being at a crossroads - a point of absolute, unequivocal change. It makes the blood rush. Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre? Lolita Chakrabarti's play creates imagined experiences based on the little-known, but true, story of Ira Aldridge, an African-American actor who, in the nineteenth century, built an incredible reputation on the stages of London and Europe. Red Velvet received its world premiere at the Tricycle Theatre, London, on 11 October 2012, starring Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge. It was revived at the Tricycle Theatre on 23 January 2014, before transferring to St Ann's Warehouse, New York, on 25 March 2014. This second edition includes the revisions made to the script for the 2014 revival of the play. It also features contextual articles by Lolita Chakrabarti about the real Ira Aldridge, and a piece by Professor Ayanna Thompson about the significance of Aldridge's erasure from standard theatre history and the importance of the play in this regard.

Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Herbert Marshall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
"On March 25, 1833, celebrated English actor Edmund Kean collapsed on stage at Covent Garden while playing the role of Othello and died shortly thereafter. Sixteen days later, young Ira Aldridge, an American-born black actor, replaced Edmund Kean in the role of the Moor. "Suddenly, members of the press were up in arms," and a real-life drama escalated, with all of London the stage." "The late biographers Herbert Marshall and Mildred Stock recreate this drama, which included a huge cast of characters: An adoring following among the common folk in the English provinces. The manager of Covent Garden, one Pierre Francois Laporte, a Frenchman who mixed business with liberal ideas about race. Theatre critics who relished calling Aldridge a "black servant" even as they idealized Shakespeare's peasant background. The proslavery lobby, at that very moment fighting its last battle." "Aldridge had come to London from New York City at age seventeen and for eight years had performed in the English provinces. In April 1833, he stood at the very heart of the Empire, beloved Covent Garden. Thrust out after only two performances, he was catapulted, in a wonderfully ironic twist, onto a world stage that included all of Europe and Russia. He would eventually return to conquer London, decked with medals of distinction."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Memoir and Theatrical Career of Ira Aldridge, the African Roscius

Memoir and Theatrical Career of Ira Aldridge, the African Roscius PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description


Ira's Shakespeare Dream

Ira's Shakespeare Dream PDF Author: Glenda Armand
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
ISBN: 9781643797175
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The inspiring biography of Ira Aldridge, a Black actor who overcame racism to become one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century.

Ira Aldridge

Ira Aldridge PDF Author: Bernth Lindfors
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Actors
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


Ira Aldridge, the African Roscius

Ira Aldridge, the African Roscius PDF Author: Bernth Lindfors
Publisher: University Rochester Press
ISBN: 9781580462587
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Ira Aldridge--a black New Yorker--was one of 19th-century Europe's greatest actors, performing abroad for 43 years, winning more awards, honors, and official decorations than any of his professional peers. This collection restores the luster to Aldridge's reputation by examining his extraordinary achievements against all odds.

Becoming Ira Aldridge, a Black Shakespearean Actor in Nineteenth Century Ireland

Becoming Ira Aldridge, a Black Shakespearean Actor in Nineteenth Century Ireland PDF Author: Christine Kinealy
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527532437
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
This study throws light on a little-studied but emerging field within Irish studies: Black history. It focuses on an American-born Black Shakespearean actor, Ira Aldridge, who, to follow his vocation and escape prejudice in America, travelled to England in 1824, aged only 17. Despite some racial stereotyping, his rise to prominence in the theatrical world was meteoric. Until his premature death in 1867, he played to audiences throughout Europe—from Galway in Ireland to St Petersburg in Russia—winning plaudits and accolades, and recognition as the leading Shakespearean tragedian of the day. Aldridge was not just an actor; wherever he performed, he also delivered a message about the cruelty of enslavement and the need for Black equality. This publication focuses on Aldridge’s special relationship with Ireland and its theatrical traditions over a period of three decades.