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480 BC 406 BC |
Euripides, Greek tragic dramatist, lived about this time. He authored "Medea," "Alcestis," "The Cyclops" and "The Trojan Woman." Euripides was an Athenian tragedian who brought the gods and heroes down to earth. He presented pictures of human life that were sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, but always and undeniably real. Links: Greece, Theater, Playwright 
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429 BC |
Oedipus Rex, an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles, was first performed about this time. Links: Greece, Theater, Playwright
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425 BC |
The Greek play “Acharnians” by Aristophanes was first performed. A charcoal burner named Dakaiopolis manages to bypass corrupt Athenian politicians and a pompous general to make peace with the Spartans. Links: Greece, Theater, Playwright, HistoryBC
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406 BC |
Euripides (b.480/484), Greek tragic dramatist, died. His plays included Phedre, which tells the story of a queen’s incestuous love for her stepson. Links: Greece, Theater, Playwright
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342 BC |
Menander (c.~291), Greek playwright, was born about this time in Athens. He wrote more than 100 plays, but many of his works have been lost. A 9th century manuscript from a Syrian monastery contains 200 verses from Menander's play "Dyskolos" ("The Grouch"). In 2003 a scholar reported another 200 verses in the document appear to be by Menander. Links: Greece, Theater, Playwright
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1509 |
Andrea Calmo (d.1571, Venetian playwright, was born about this time. He became a pioneer in comedia dell’arte. Links: Italy, Theater, Venice, Playwright
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1550 Apr 12 |
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was born (d.1604). Some claimed that he was responsible for all the 37 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long narrative poems that are attributed to William Shakespeare. De Vere was first advanced as the author of Shakespeare’s work in 1918 by English schoolmaster J. Thomas Looney. Links: Britain, Poet, Writer, Theater
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1564 Feb 26 |
Christopher Marlowe (d.1593), English, poet, dramatist, was baptized. His work included "Doctor Faustus," "Tamburlaine," "The Jew of Malta," and other plays. He was murdered at 29 in a Deptford tavern and was suspected of being a spy to the Continent on behalf of the Crown. In 1993 Anthony Burgess had a novel published posthumously about Marlowe titled "A Dead Man in Deptford." Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1577 |
London’s 2nd playhouse, The Curtain, opened in Finsbury. The Curtain opened close to London's first playhouse "The Theatre" and was one of a number of early theatres built outside the city's walls. The venue took its name from nearby street Curtain Close. It was the main arena for Shakespeare's plays between 1597 and 1599 until the Globe was completed in Southwark. Archaeologists stumbled upon the Curtain Theatre's remains on Hewett Street after work began on a regeneration project led by local developers in October 2011. Links: Britain, Theater
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1588 1593 |
Shakespeare authored his play Titus Andronicus during this period. It tells the fictional story of Titus, a general in the Roman army, who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with Tamora, Queen of the Goths. Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1599 Sep 21 |
The Globe Theater had its first recorded performance. The 20-sided timber building for Shakespeare’s plays was constructed on the South Bank of the Thames, England. The troupe Lord Chamberlain's Men built the Globe Theater. Timbers came from a dismantled old theater and the new structure held some 3,000 spectators in 3 galleries. In 2005 James Shapiro authored “A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599.” Links: Britain, Theater
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1599 1600 |
“As You Like It,” a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare, is believed to have been written about this time and first published in the folio of 1623. It included a monologue that begins with the phrase "All the world's a stage" and catalogues the seven stages of a man's life, sometimes referred to as the seven ages of man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, and second childhood, "sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” Links: Britain, Theater
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1600 1750 |
The Baroque Era in music, as practiced by its greatest figures, has pronounced mannerist qualities: mysticism, exuberance, complexity, decoration, allegory, distortion, the exploitation of the supernatural or grandiose, all commingled. The baroque saw the rise of four-part harmony and the figured bass, in which numerals indicated the harmonies to be used. In 1968 Claude Palisca authored "Baroque Music." The Baroque style (1620-1680) extended to art, architecture and theater, represented by a spirit of opulence, drama and sensuality. Links: Artist, Theater, Architect, Classical Music
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1602 Feb 2 |
The first recorded performance of Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” took place. It was not published until 1623. Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1604 |
The “Moor of Venis” (Othello) by Shaxberd (Shakespeare) was performed in London. Links: Britain, Theater
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1607 |
Henry Chettle (b.c1564), English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era, died about this time. Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1607 |
Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla (d.c1660), Spanish dramatist, was born at Toledo. He became a knight of Santiago in 1644. The exact date of his death is unknown. Links: Spain, Theater, Playwright
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1607 |
“The Knight of the Burning Pestle,” a play by Francis Beaumont (1584-1616), was first performed. It was first published in a quarto in 1613. Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1610 |
Shakespeare’s play “The Winter’s Tale” was first performed. Links: Britain, Theater, Playwright
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1616 Jul 29 |
Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu (b.1550) died. His major plays are collectively called the Four Dreams. Links: China, Theater, Playwright
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1633 |
In Oberammergau, Germany, plague victims swore an oath to portray the suffering and death of the Lord every 10 years. Their first Passion Play was performed in 1634. Links: Germany, Theater
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1634 |
In Oberammergau, Germany, a re-enactment of the last days of Jesus began to be performed. The Passion Play was performed from then on every ten years with a few rare exceptions. In 1633 plague victims had sworn an oath to portray the suffering and death of the Lord every 10 years. Links: Germany, Theater
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1650 Aug 19 |
Jean Rotrou (b.1609), French playwright, died of the plague. In his day he was considered second only to Corneille. Links: France, Theater, Playwright
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1662 |
Moliere authored his satirical play “The School for Wives.” Links: France, Theater, Playwright
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1677 |
Racine wrote his drama Phedre in alexandrine meter. It was based on Euripides’ tragic Greek tale of Phaedra’s love for her stepson Hippolytus, son of Theseus. Links: France, Theater, Playwright
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1704 Feb 19 |
In Japan Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjuro I (b.1660, the first of the Danjuro line, was murdered by a rival on stage. Links: Japan, Theater, Murder
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1707 |
Moses Chaim Luzzato (d.1746), Hebrew playwright, was born in Padua. His work included the Mesillat Yesharim (1740), essentially an ethical treatise but with certain mystical underpinnings. Links: Italy, Theater, Playwright
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1714 |
A British comedy called “The Winder” was staged. Links: Britain, Theater
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1732 Jan 24 |
Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais, French dramatist, was born. He was best remembered for his plays "Barber of Civil" and "Marriage of Figaro." He was a conduit for French gold and arms to American Revolution, persecuted by mob during French Rev. "It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them." Links: France, Theater
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1732 |
English writer Henry Fielding (1707-1754) authored his play "The Lottery," a companion piece to Joseph Addison's Cato. The play was a success and earned Fielding a great deal of money. Links: Britain, Writer, Theater, Playwright
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1763 Feb 12 |
Pierre de Mariveaux (b.1688), French novelist and playwright, died. Links: France, Writer, Theater, Playwright
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1799 Apr 20 |
Friedrich Schiller's "Wallensteins Tod," the third part of his Wallenstein trilogy, premiered in Weimar. Links: Germany, Theater, Playwright
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1799 May 18 |
Pierre de Beaumarchais (b.1732), French inventor and dramatist, died. In 2007 Hugh Thomas authored “Beaumarchais in Seville.” In 2009 Susan Emanuel translated to English “Beaumarchais: A Biography” by Maurice Lever (d.2006). Links: France, Theater, Biography, Inventor
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1800 May 14 |
Friedrich Schiller's translation of "Macbeth" premiered in Weimar. Links: Germany, Theater, Playwright
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1808 Feb 2 |
Josef Kajetan Tyl (d.1856), Czech playwright, was born. Links: Czechoslovakia, Theater, Playwright
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1809 Sep |
The Old Price Riots broke out in England when Covent Garden manager John Philip Kemble raised ticket prices. The riots continued to December. Links: Britain, Theater
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1809 Nov 27 |
Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (d.1893), Shakespearian actress and writer, was born in London, England. Links: Britain, Writer, Theater
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1809 Nov 27 |
Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (d.1893), Shakespearian actress, writer and anti-slavery activist, was born in London, England. Her work included "Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation. Links: Britain, Writer, Theater
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1849 May 10 |
A mob destroyed Astor Place opera house in NYC and 22 people were killed. Edward Z.C. Judson (Ned Buntline) was convicted of leading the riot and was sentenced to a year in prison. In 2007 Nigel Cliff authored “The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama, and Death in Nineteenth-Century America.” Links: USA, NYC, Theater, Books, Mad Crowd
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1849 Jun 22 |
San Francisco experienced its first theatrical performance with a one-man show in Portsmouth Square by Stephen C. Massett, an itinerant Brit. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1850 Jan 16 |
The first real play in San Francisco, “The Wife,” was staged at the modest Washington Hall theater. This was located on the 2n d floor of a building that later became the city’s swankiest brothel. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1850 Jul 4 |
In San Francisco David G. Robinson and a partner opened the 280-seat Dramatic Museum on California St. The theater burned down within a year. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1851 Jun 22 |
In San Francisco a 6th major fire caused $3 million in losses. The Jenny Lind theater run by Tom McGuire was reduced to ashes. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1851 Oct 4 |
In San Francisco the third Jenny Lind Theater, run by Tom McGuire, opened on Portsmouth Square on the same site as the two preceding it, which were destroyed by the fires of 1851. In 1852 a scandal erupted as the city of San Francisco purchased the theater for $200,000 for use as the city hall. In 1949 the site was named state landmark No. 192. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1851 |
In San Francisco David G. Robinson built the Adelphi, where the city's first opera was staged Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1852 |
In San Francisco David G. Robinson (d.1857) built the 2000-seat American, a theater for "serious" drama. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1854 Apr 3 |
John Wilson (b.1785), Scottish advocate, literary critic and author, the writer most frequently identified with the pseudonym Christopher North of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, died in Edinburgh. A scene from his play "The City of the Plague" was adapted by Alexander Pushkin as "A Feast in Time of Plague" and become a subject of a number of adaptations. Links: Scotland, Theater
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1856 |
In San Francisco Tom McGuire remodeled his new theater and reopened it as McGuire's Opera House and added a saloon next door called the Snug. Drinks cost 12.5 cents. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1857 |
In France the Napoleon III theatre at Fontainebleau Palace south of Paris, built between 1853 and 1856 under the reign of Napoleon III, opened. It was used only a dozen times, which helped preserve its gilded adornments, before being abandoned in 1870 after the fall of Napoleon III. It reopened in 2019 following 12 years of restoration work with the help of a 10 million euro donation from Abu Dhabi. Links: France, Theater, Abu Dhabi
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1859 Feb 18 |
Shalom Aleichem (Solomon Rabinowitz, d.1916), Russian-Yiddish playwright, author and humorist, was born in the Ukraine. "To want to be the cleverest of all is the biggest folly." Links: Ukraine, Israel, Theater, Quote, Playwright
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1860 |
Russia’s Emp. Alexander II presented the Mariinsky theater in St. Petersburg as a birthday present to his wife, Maria. Links: Russia, Theater
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1862 |
SF impresario Tom Maguire booked Lotta Crabtree (15) into the Eureka Minstrel Hall, her first appearance on a legitimate stage. Lola Montez had helped Lotta develop her skills in Grass Valley. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1863 Aug 24 |
In San Francisco actress Adah Isaacs Menken (1835-1868) appeared at Maguire's Opera House in the play "Mazeppa" wearing a scanty white blouse and shorts on the back of a rearing horse. Links: USA, Women, SF, Theater
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1864 |
In New York City Mary Ann Crabtree booked her daughter Lotta (17) in the play "Little Nell and the Marchioness." It was a smash success. Lotta Crabtree went on to star in a succession of stage musicals and became the wealthiest performer in the country. Links: USA, NYC, Theater
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1865 Jan 16 |
Charles (19) and Michael de Young (17) started a free theater-program sheet in SF called The Daily Dramatic Chronicle. Early quarters were at 417 Clay. They borrowed a $20 gold piece from Capt. William Hinkley, who owned the building where they lived, to start the paper. Links: USA, SF, Theater, Journalism
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1865 Apr 14 |
On the evening of Good Friday, just after 10 p.m., Pres. Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington DC. Southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth burst into the presidential box and shot Lincoln behind the ear. Booth shouted out “sic semper tyrannis” (thus always to tyrants), Virginia’s state motto, after shooting Pres. Lincoln. He leaped to the stage, breaking his left leg on impact, and escaped through a side door. Lincoln was carried to a nearby house where he remained unconscious until his death at 7:22 the following morning. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who had kept vigil at Lincoln's bedside, said, "Now he belongs to the ages." As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” Links: USA, Virginia, Theater, DC, LincolnA, Assassin, Civil War (US)
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1868 Aug 10 |
American actress Adah Isaacs Menken (b.1835) died in Paris. She was buried in the Jewish section of the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Links: USA, France, Women, Theater
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1872 Dec 12 |
Edwin Forrest (b.1806), American actor, died in Philadelphia. Links: USA, Pennsylvania, Theater
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1875 Sep 9 |
On Admission Day Charlotte Mignon (Lotta) Crabtree (1847-1924), the “California Girl,” dedicated a fountain to SF that was placed at Market and Kearney. She had acquired her reputation dancing on top of barrels in saloons. The fountain was cast in Philadelphia and shipped around Cape Horn to SF. It was modeled after a lighthouse prop from a forgotten play called “Zip.” In 1998 the fountain was disassembled for a 4-month repair job. Links: USA, SF, Theater
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1876 Aug 13 |
Richard Wagner's monumental epic, "Ring of the Nibelung" premiered with 4 operas on 4 consecutive nights) at the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany. Wagner had begun writing the opera in 1848. Links: Germany, Theater, Composer
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