|
Ira Frederick Aldridge (July 24, 1807 – August 7, 1867) was an American and later British stage actor and playwright who made his career largely on the London stage and in Europe, especially in Shakespearean roles. He is the only actor of African-American descent among the 33 actors of the English stage honored with bronze plaques at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. He was especially popular in Prussia and Russia, where he received top honors from heads of state. ==Early life and career== Aldridge was born in New York City to Reverend Daniel and Luranah Aldridge July 24, 1807. At age 13, Aldridge went to the African Free School in New York City, established by the New York Manumission Society for the children of free blacks and slaves. They were given a classical education, with the study of English grammar, writing, mathematics, geography, and astronomy.〔(Nicholas M. Evans, "Ira Aldridge, Shakespeare and Minstrelsy" ), ''The American Transcendental Quarterly'', 1 September 2002, carried at Goliath〕 His early exposure to theater included viewing plays from the high balcony of the Park Theatre, New York's leading theater of the time. Aldridge's first professional acting experience was in the early 1820s with the African Company, a group founded and managed by William Henry Brown and James Hewlett. In 1821, the group built the African Grove Theatre, the first resident African American theatre in the United States.〔Nelson, E.S. (2004). In African American Dramatists: An A-to-Z Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood〕 Ira made his acting debut as Rolla, a Peruvian character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's ''Pizarro''. He may have also played the male lead in ''Romeo and Juliet'', as reported later in an 1860 memoir by his schoolfellow, Dr. James McCune Smith.〔Hill, Errol G., and James Vernon Hatch. (2003). A history of African American theatre. Cambridge University Press〕 Confronted with persistent discrimination, which black actors endured in the United States, Aldridge emigrated to Liverpool, England, in 1824 with actor James Wallack. During this time the Industrial Revolution had begun, bringing about radical economic change that helped expand the development of theatres.〔 The British Parliament had already outlawed the slave trade and was confronted with the prospect of abolishing slavery itself in the British colonies, which increased the prospect of black actors being able to perform.〔Bernth Lindfors, "Aldridge in Europe: How Aldridge Controlled His Identity as the "African Roscius", Shakespeare in American Life, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, accessed 15 Oct 2010〕 Having limited onstage experience and lacking name recognition, he concocted a story of his African lineage, claiming to have descended from the Fulani princely line.〔 By 1831 he had taken the name of Keene, a homonym for the then popular British actor, Edmund Kean. Aldridge observed a common theatrical practice of assuming an identical or similar nomenclature to that of a celebrity in order to garner attention. In addition to being called F.W. Keene Aldridge, he would later be called African Roscius, after the famous Roman actor of the first century BC.〔 On October 10, 1825, Aldridge made his European debut, making him the first African American actor to establish himself professionally in a foreign country at London's Royal Coburg Theatre in the lead role of Oroonoko in ''The Revolt of Surinam'', or A ''Slave's Revenge''; this play was an adaptation of Thomas Southerne's ''Oroonoko''.〔 According to the scholar Shane White, English people had heard of the African Theatre because of British actor and comedian Charles Mathews, so Aldridge associated himself with that.〔(Shane White ), ''Shakespeare in American Life,'' accessed 14 Oct 2010〕 Bernth Lindfors says: ()hen Aldridge starts appearing on the stage at the Royalty Theatre, he's just called a gentleman of color. But when he moves over to the Royal Coburg, he's advertised in the first playbill as the American Tragedian from the African Theater New York City. The second playbill refers to him as 'The African Tragedian.' So everybody goes to the theater expecting to laugh because this is the man they think Mathews saw in New York City.〔(Bernth Lindfors, "Aldridge in Europe: How Aldridge Controlled His Identity as the 'African Roscius'" ), ''Shakespeare in American Life'', Folger Shakespeare Theatre, accessed 15 Oct 2010〕 An innovation he introduced early in his career was a direct address to the audience on the closing night of his engagement at a given theatre. Especially in the years leading up to the emancipation of all slaves in the British colonies he would speak of the injustice of slavery and the passionate desire for freedom of those held in bondage.〔 — 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ira Aldridge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|