Faculty Experts Guide

Communication and Theatre

Professor of Communication and Theatre

Specialties:

American drama and theatre, Early American actresses, Women's theatrical history, Gender and theatre, Theatre history and criticism, Gothic drama, acting and directing

Bio:

Susan Anthony focuses her research on women's place in society throughout American history, and particularly women's role in theatre. She is compiling information about early British/American actresses, seeking a glimpse into society and theatrical life of the time. In her first book, Gothic Plays in American Society, Anthony identified the actresses. Now she is building on that information with a website titled "Early American Actresses: Celebrities on the Early American Stage." For a database for the website, she has spent years chronicling the actresses' repertoire, their roles, songs they sang in each city where they performed, digitizing maps of where each actress traveled for performances, and what they were paid as working women of the 18th century. DePauw School of Music singers recorded songs that early American actresses were well known for, and the songs will have links on the website.