18th Century Charleston Theater

Charleston was the center for theatre in America until after the War between the States. In 1773– 74, 188 performances were given in Charleston, including 11 Shakespearean plays. In the eighteenth century actors were not respectable people. England had statutes against “rogues, vagabonds, and stage-players” and those statutes were transported to America. Certainly, the Puritans in New England and the Quakers in Pennsylvania had little use for theatre. In Charleston the theatre was so accepted that the site of the first dramatic performance in the city was the court house. Charleston became a haven for traveling professional theatrical troops.

The Hallam’s Company, arrived in Charleston in the fall of 1754 and remained for three months. The American Company brought Romeo and Juliet and King Lear to Charleston. That company had been met with hostility and legal problems in New York. They arrived in Charleston in November 1763 and remained until 1766.

Jones, Mark R.. Wicked Charleston: The Dark Side of the Holy City (Kindle Locations 1025-1027). Arcadia Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.