Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia
An exploration of the History of Theater in the City of Philadelphia - from Early Colonial times, through the Industrial Era, all the way into the 21st Century.
Recent Episodes
Episode 8: New Year's Day at the New Theatre, 1800
April 30, 2021
Philadelphia's premiere theater company rings in the New Year of 1800 with their production of the …
Episode 7: Two Paintings at The Met
April 9, 2021
An examination of two works by artist John Lewis Krimmel, as they relate to the history of theater …
Episode 6: Ricketts' Circus in the Capital City, Part Four
April 2, 2021
The final installment of our story about John Bill Ricketts, with more adventures about his equestr…
Episode 5: Ricketts' Circus in the Capital City, Part Three
March 26, 2021
The third in our four-part Adventure about John Bill Ricketts and his circus in Philadelphia, the t…
Episode 4: Ricketts' Circus in the Capital City, Part Two
March 26, 2021
The second of our four-part Adventure about John Bill Ricketts, the equestrian and showman, famous …
Episode 3: Ricketts' Circus in the Capital City, Part One
March 26, 2021
This is first section of our first deep dive, the initial Adventure in Theater History that the tit…
Recent Blog Posts
Episode 8 - New Year's Day at the New Theatre, 1800
Above: Abolemique threatens Fatima with execution in Blue Beard (illustration taken from the cover of Hermansson's Blue Beard: A Reader's Guide to t…
Episode 7: Two Paintings at The Met
Image above: "Nightlife in Philadelphia—an Oyster Barrow in front of the Chestnut Street Theater", by John Lewis Krimmel; Metropolitan Museum of Ar…
Episode 6 - Ricketts Circus Comes to the End of Its Run
Above, the portrait of J.B. Ricketts by Gilbert Stuart, in the collection of the National Gallery. Inscription, lower left: "Portrait of Mr Rickarts Hors…