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Williamsburg, first city of theater
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Quick, name the city where the first theater was established in colonial America. If you said New York, you're hundreds of miles and a few generations off. It happened in Williamsburg, first capital of Virginia, at a time when theater in The Big Apple was still small potatoes. And you get a good feel for this milestone by visiting Colonial Williamsburg, which preserves the traditions and flavors of the days of the founding fathers and mothers.
The first recorded theatrical performance in the English language in the colonies (staged in a tavern rather than an actual playhouse) occurred in Pungoteague, Virginia in 1665. One citizen was so offended by its “improper” content that he sued the cast, who were then obliged to present an encore in court. The judge acquitted them and ordered the plaintiff to pay court costs – a resounding blow against censorship. This helped launch an atmosphere of tolerance in Virginia toward theatrical entertainment, an indulgence which many Americans at the time considered frivolous if not immoral – especially in cities to the north, such as one in particular that had a reputation for banning virtually everything but beans.
And so, in 1716 Williamsburg businessman William Levingston contracted to build the New World's first bona fide theater, which opened for business in 1718. Unfortunately, this theater is long razed, and the location is marked only by a plaque.
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Well, not quite. There's also a permanent “temporary” stage on which costumed actors give presentations several times a day, performances that include both informative discussions of theatrical history in Williamsburg, and excerpts from stage works of the period. These actors also attend an indoor display of playbills and other stage memorabilia from the era, and gladly answer the public's questions on the topic.
But they're only a small number of actors who offer street theater throughout the 301-acre complex of restored colonial structures. You can see well-acted dramatizations of colonial women anxiously awaiting news of their husbands absent in war; of African-Americans discussing what the Revolution means to them; of a minister expounding to his congregation on the meaning of liberty; of a trial for witchcraft; and of troops rallying for battle. You'll even see Benedict Arnold ride up on horseback accompanied by some of his fellow Redcoats (and also accompanied, of course, by boos from the audience) and state his impassioned, surprisingly logical reasons for turning his coat from blue to red. You know a theatrical piece is a success when it takes a figure so often deemed despicable, and makes him appear considerably more sympathetic.
The city of Williamsburg may have faded from the theatrical spotlight, but Colonial Williamsburg is now one big vibrant outdoor stage.
photo: Kimberly Goza
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