The story of America s earliest extant play begins with a petty crimea crime that would have passed largely unnoticed had it not been for one fact: it prompted a beleaguered royal governor of one of Britain s colonies to lash out at his enemies by writing a biting satire. Androboros, A Bographical sic] Farce in Three Acts (1715), is universally acknowledged as the first play both written and printed in America. Its significance stems not simply from its publication but from its eventual impact. The play inadvertently laid the foundation for one of the defining rights of the...
The story of America s earliest extant play begins with a petty crimea crime that would have passed largely unnoticed had it not been for one fact: it...