Theater programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
This is the earliest dated program in our collection. The location of the performance is unknown, but was likely an early Buffalo playhouse. Amelia Holman Gilfert (Mrs. Gilfert) was considered the first star of the American theater.
[Buffalo Theatre]
Buffalo Theater and Music Program Collection
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Gilfert, Amelia Holman
Digital image copyright 2019 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
eng
Early Nineteenth Century (1800-1850)
Buffalo philanthropist Maria Love and her sister Elizabeth ("Libbie") occasionally starred in amateur theatre productions. Mrs. R. R. Cornell is May Fielding, a Buffalo actress who went on to have a successful Broadway career.
Buffalo Academy of Music
Craven, H. T. (Henry Thornton), 1818-1905
Love, Maria M. (Maria Maltby), 1840-1931
Love, Libbie
Fielding, May
Davis, Townsend
Spencer, E. A.
Late Nineteenth Century (1850-1900)
Edwin Booth was one of the biggest stars of 19th-century American stage. During his career, he was known for his Shakespearian roles, especially his portrayal of Hamlet. Born into a famous acting family, the Booth name today is more likely associated with his brother, John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Booth, Edwin, 1833-1893
Rainford, Milton
Cummins, Ellen
Carroll, Jennie
Pierce, F. R.
Rogers, Benjamin G., 1819 or 1820-1895
Helena Modjeska was an acclaimed Polish-born actress known for her Shakespearean roles. Leading man Maurice Barrymore was the patriarch of the Barrymore acting family, father of John, Lionel and Ethel, and great-grandfather of actress Drew.
Modjeska, Helena, 1840-1909
Barrymore, Maurice, 1849-1905
Owen, W. F.
Milton, Maud, 1850-1945
Ellison, Clara
The child actress known as "Corinne" and her mother, Jennie Kimball, starred in this production. H.R. Jacobs of Albany managed theaters in Buffalo and several American cities.
Court Street Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Jacobs, H.R.
Corinne, 1873-1937
Kimball, Jennie, 1848-1896
Lillie Langtry, nicknamed "The Jersey Lily," was a British-American socialite, actress and producer. The author of this play, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was a British politician and writer. He coined the phrases "the great unwashed," "pursuit of the almighty dollar," and "the pen is mightier than the sword." The opening line of his novel Paul Clifford (1830) is that now classic phrase, "It was a dark and stormy night".
Burns, T. H.
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron, 1803-1873
Langtry, Lillie, 1853-1929
Coghlan, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1848-1899
Everill, Frederick, A.
Calvert, C.
Carne, Joseph
Concert programs -- New York (State) -- Buffalo.
The Music Hall on Main Street opened on October 18, 1887, and was the and later was completely remodeled into the Teck Theater in 1900.
Music Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
German Young Men’s Association (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo Orchestra (est. 1887)
Lund, John, 1859-1925
Buffalo Orpheus
Cornwell, William C.
Deutscher Saengerbund
Centura, Joseph
Buffalo Liedertafel
deu
Sol Smith Russell was a leading actor known for his comic roles. His performance in A Poor Relation was one of many times he visited Buffalo. The Academy of Music, Buffalo's "Thespian Temple" from 1868 to 1895 was a successful venue that hosted some of the biggest stars of the late 19th century theatre.
Kidder, Edward E., 1846-1927
Russell, Sol Smith, 1848-1902
Vale, Noah
Hudson, Alfred
Barker, Mary E.
Irving, Clara
Stevens, George, 1860-1940
Stuart Robson was a popular comedic actor who played Buffalo stages many times. The Academy of Music, Buffalo's "Thespian Temple" from 1868 to 1895 was a successful venue that hosted some of the biggest stars of the late 19th century theatre.
Howard, Bronson, 1842-1908
Robson, Stuart, 1836-1903
Woodward, George S.
Elwood, W. H.
McKean, Gabriella
May, Olive
Hayden, W. R.
One of several visits to Buffalo by famed conductor Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra.
New York Symphony Orchestra
Damrosch, Walter, 1862-1950
Reno, Morris
Pevny, Irene
Brodsky, Adolph, 1851-1929
Buffalo Music Festival Association
The Buffalo Orpheus, a German singing society, was established in 1869 by former members of the Buffalo Liedertafel chorus. German musician John Lund came to Buffalo in 1887 and became an integral part of the musical community. He conducted several local groups, including the Buffalo Orpheus and the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, and the Buffalo Municipal Orchestra.
Buffalo Symphony Orchestra (est.1892)
Stein, Gertrude May
Ripley, Stewart
Suerth, Paul
Macconnell, Marie F.
Helena Modjeska was an acclaimed Polish-born actress known for her Shakespearean roles. Buffalo's Star Theatre (W. Genesee and Pearl Streets) was a vibrant theatre venue from 1888 to 1919.
Star Theatre (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Herman, Charles D.
Pratt, Lynn
Lonergan, Lester, 1869-1931
Fielding, Marguerite
Fisher, John C., approximately 1854-1921
Maude Adams was one of the most popular and successful actresses of early 20th century theater. She starred in plays by J.M. Barrie, including Peter Pan and The Little Minister. Buffalo's Star Theatre (W. Genesee and Pearl Streets) was a vibrant theatre venue from 1888 to 1919. The original owner of this program was clearly a fan of Maude Adams, as they clipped magazine photos of her and pasted them inside.
Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew), 1860-1937
Adams, Maude, 1872-1953
Johnson, Orrin
Jepson, Eugene, -1908
Jones, W. G.
Irving, George, 1874-1961
Frohman, Charles, 1860-1915
First evening meeting of the Chromatic Club
Established in 1898, the Chromatic Club of Buffalo still exists today, and is our oldest active music organization. This event in 1903 was attended by Mary Seaton Kleinhans, an accomplished pianist and vocalist, and wife of the owner of Kleinhan's clothing store.
Chromatic Club (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Nichols, Edith Sterling
Tupper, Florence C.
Kleinhans, Mary Seaton
Chase, Florice
Choate, Evelyn
Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)
Dame Nellie Melba GBE was an Australian operatic soprano, and one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era.
Convention Hall (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Melba, Nellie, Dame, 1861-1931
Davies, Llewella
Hoose, Ellison van, 1868-1936
Gilibert, Charles, 1866-1910
Sassoli, Ada
The Guido Chorus was a male choral group of business and professional men, founded by Seth Clark in 1904 and active to 1965. The group was one of many popular singing societies in Buffalo's music history.
Guido Chorus, Buffalo
Spencer, Janet, 1874-1948
Le Breton, Prescott
Clark, Seth (Organist)
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor known as "The March King." Buffalo's Convention Hall, a former armory, was a fitting setting for a program that featured a military march composed by Sousa.
Sousa, John Philip, 1854-1932
Schiller, Elizabeth
Straus, Jessie
Zimmerman, Leo, 1866-1935
Clarke, Herbert L. (Herbert Lincoln), 1867-1945
Maude Adams was one of the most popular and successful actresses of early 20th century theater. She starred in plays by J.M. Barrie, including Peter Pan and The Little Minister. Buffalo's Star Theatre (W. Genesee and Pearl Streets) was a vibrant theatre venue from 1888 to 1919.
Morries, Mildred
Wren, Jane
Lawford, Ernest E.
Henderson, Grace, 1860-1944
Francoeur, J. M.
Laura Justine "Jessie" Bonstelle was an actress, theater director, and drama company manager. She managed stock companies at the Star Theater in Buffalo, and later founded her own theater in Detroit.
Bonstelle Company
Bonstelle, Jessie
Fitch, Clyde, 1865-1909
McVicker, Julius
Dwyer, John T.
Cluxton, Walter
Johanna Gadski was a German soprano known for her powerful voice. She was one of many international talents whose local performance was arranged by Mai Davis Smith, the first professional impresario in Buffalo.
Gadski, Johanna, 1872-1932
La Forge, Frank, 1879-1953
Smith, Mai Davis