History, they say, has a filthy tongue. In the case of colonial theatre in America, what we know about performance has come from the detractors of theatre and not its producers. Yet this does not account for the flourishing theatrical circuit established between 1760 and 1776. This study explores the culture's social support of the theatre.

PART ONE: (IM)MATERIAL WITNESSES Working Up from Post-holes Mr. Sauthier's Maps The Anatomy of Desire The Countenance of Mr. Douglass Mrs. Warren's Profession Assuming the Wall PART TWO: CARE-TAKERS OF MEMORY Spoiling Nice Stories Case Studies The Burning of the Lena Edwin Silent Travelers, Silent Journals The Perfect Storm

ODAI JOHNSON is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington's School of Drama, USA. He is the author of Rehearsing the Revolution, co-author of The Colonial American Stage, a Documentary Calendar, and numerous articles on the American theatre.