Season Three: The Tryout Town

10/20/23 • 40 min

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia

We begin our third season of adventures! Here we learn about the historical originas of the "Tryout Town" in American showbiz of the early 20th Century.
We discuss the movie 42nd Street and discuss many touring shows that came through Philly on their way to and from Broadway - including George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones, which introduced the song "Give My Regards To Broadway" at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1904.
But we also learn that the real place that Philadelphians needed to travel, in order to catch tryout shows, was not the theaters of Broad Street but along the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey while they took their summer vacations!
A blog post about the excursions and theaters in Atlantic City can be found on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/but-i-dont-want-to-go-to-philadelphia-theaters-of-atlantic-city/
If you liked the show, leave a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-theater-history-philadelphia/id1562046673

On Sunday, June 29th, the author and podcaster Peter Schmitz will be appearing at the Brookline Books stall at the 2025 American Library Association annual conference and exhibition at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
If you’re a librarian - or a fan of libraries - and are coming to the ALA in Philly this year, please be sure to stop by and say hello!

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"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK can be ordered from independent bookstores and at all online book retailers now!
To order our book via Bookshop.org - GO HERE
Our website: www.aithpodcast.com
Our email address: [email protected]
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Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AITHpodcast© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.

℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Support the show

℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Previous Episode

Interview: Penelope Reed

Actress, director and educator Penelope Reed sits down for an interview with us, and shares fascinating memories of her long career in Philadelphia area theater. In particular she discusses her lifelong involvement and eventual leadership of the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.
This episode can be seen as a continuation of our Episode 36, "Jasper Deeter and the Hedgerow Theatre" from September 2022. You can find it on any podcasting app, or go right to the episode page on our website: https://www.aithpodcast.com/jasper-deeter-and-the-hedgerow-theatre/
As a special bonus, you can also hear Penelope Reed discuss the history of her amazing theatrical family! In return for a small membership donation on Patreon, you can year this additional 24-minute section of the interview: [email protected]
A blog post on our website, with images from Reed's career: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/penelope-reed/

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℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Next Episode

The Return of The Clansman

In the fall of 1915, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was booked to play at the Forrest Theatre - a "legitimate house," not a movie theater - but would Philadelphia's city authorities allow it to be shown?
After all, the film's racist source material, Thomas Dixon's play The Clansman, had been officially banned in the city back in 1906. But was this a "movie" or a "photo-play"? Could it be legally censored at all? How did this controversy result in plays and movies being regarded as two different types of entertainment?
There is a blog post on our website ("Birth of A Nation in the Birthplace of the Nation") to accompany this episode, which examines a 1915 newspaper ad for the film, and how the film was marketed to Philadelphians at the time.
Link is here: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/birth-of-a-nation-in-the-birthplace-of-the-nation/
For earlier episodes about Thomas Dixon and his play The Clansman - and how the Philadelphia African-American community organized against it in 1906 see our series "The Fight Against the Clansman" - Episodes 42, 43, and 45.

Support the show

℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.

℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia - Season Three: The Tryout Town

Transcript

[AITH OPENING THEME]
Peter: Welcome back to Adventures in Theater History! Here on this show we bring you the best stories from the deep and fascinating history of theater in the city of Philadelphia. I’m your host, Peter Schmitz. Our original music for our podcast, including this new intro theme for our Season Three, is composed by Christopher Mark Colucci.

[TRYOUT TOWN THEME MUSIC]

This is the first of