Variety Arts Enterprises

A Vaudeville Retrospective:

Illustrated Lecture, Performance, & Exhibition

The story of vaudeville is in many ways the story of America between 1880 and 1930, and a fascinating story it is. Heroes and villains, big business, technological and social change --- the story of vaudeville has it all. And the influence of vaudeville is still with us.

But today, about 90 years since the decline of vaudeville, misconceptions abound. Many people confuse vaudeville with burlesque or minstrelsy. Understandably, many have only the haziest notion of vaudeville based on warped depictions in old movies. But when taking an informed look back, vaudeville was a simple concept: a respectable general audience variety show consisting of a dozen "acts" unconnected by plot. Yet it grew into a dominant form of leisure in America, a giant coast-to-coast industry that flourished for 50 years. The 1880-1930 period was one of rapid change on many fronts, and "A Vaudeville Retrospective" places the story of vaudeville within the context of the times.

The illustrated lecture --- conceived for museums, historical societies, college theatre departments, and libraries, tells engaging stories of (1) the technological and social forces that set the stage for vaudeville, (2) the leadership that built the genre into a big business, (3) the forces of individual talent and personality that held mass interest, and (4) the economics --- and backroom machinations --- of vaudeville's decline.

Performance segments interspersed throughout by "The Last Living Vaudevillian" reprise the virtuosity and spirit of the touring artists who "packed 'em in" at theatres across the U.S. Selected audio and video clips help convey the flavor of the vaudeville era.

"A Vaudeville Retrospective" is a fascinating program of "under-the-radar" history that illuminates a nearly forgotten institution in early 20th-century American life.

Call or e-mail today about a presentation for your museum. Program content complements virtually any late 19th- or early 20th-century topic, and programs can be customized to dovetail with relevant programs or exhibitions. For the present decade at least, presentations in conjunction with "centennial" exhibitions will have guaranteed relevance. "A Vaudeville Retrospective" is ideal as a member event, staff event, fund-raiser, educational session --- or simply as a literate, informative, and fun public program.

The Program ("one-hour-plus"):

Interspersed with performance segments
by R.W. Bacon as "The Last Living Vaudevillian"

(1) Introduction: Vaudeville --- What was it?
Vaudeville defined; current misconceptions; survivors to the 1950s TV era; a typical vaudeville show; and vaudeville theatres from big-time to small-time.

(2) Setting the Scene: 19th Century Beginnings
Early 19th-century circus & variety, the mid-19th-century "concert saloon," and the late-19th-century entrepreneurs. Industrialization, urbanization, immigration, advances in communication and transportation --- and a middle-class backlash against aristocratic cultural tastemakers.

(3) The Peak Years: The Growth of an Industry
Competing masterminds, moguls, and monopolists build a nationwide industry: Over 2000 theatres, 2000 miscellaneous venues, 30,000-50,000 performers. Talent aiming to please --- tycoons aiming to profit. Vaudeville prospered in tandem with the popular music industry --- and the fledgling motion picture business.

(4) People of Vaudeville: The Famous and the Forgotten
Human stories of big-timers and small-timers. Names may be forgotten, but their influence is with is today, sometimes in unlikely places!

(5) The Decline of Vaudeville: Internal & External Forces
The novelty of sound movies drew audiences away from vaudeville, but that does not tell the whole story --- multiple internal forces played a role as well. Surprising twists illustrate that in history, things are so often not as they seem!

(6) Then What Happened?
To the people, to the places, to the ideas, to the influences?
The better vaudevillians moved into nightclub, revue, film, or radio work, while lesser talents moved to "small-time" work or left showbusiness. Post-WWII nightclub variety, 1950s-60s TV variety, and late 20th-century "New Vaudeville."

(7) 21st Century Manifestations --- The Spirit Remains
A new amalgam of circus, cabaret, "new burlesque," and the growth of Las Vegas as a show capital provides new venues for today's variety acts. The presentation and "packaging" may have changed, but today's variety performers carry on.

Attendees receive informative program notes that include a bibliography and resource information useful for further exploration of the topic.

A companion lobby exhibition is available that amplifies on material covered in the illustrated lecture presentation.

Related Programs:

Vaudeville and the New England Trolley Park Era
(one hour; link opens self-contained PDF file)
In the late 19th and early 20th century, electric trolley companies across the U.S. constructed end-of-the-line picnic parks to encourage Sunday ridership. In an era of urban population growth and increased leisure for workers, these parks grew into popular amusement attractions, some of which survive today. Outdoor Vaudeville theatres became an important component of these parks, and they hired thousands of performers who were "at liberty" from indoor work during the summer months. This program tells the story of the rise and fall of the trolley parks, and the fate of many of the parks in the ensuing decades. (Program content is based on research for an article that appeared in the NEPA Exchange, the magazine of the New England Park Association. Read the article here.)

Coast Defenders: Vaudeville & Vaudevillians in New England
(one hour; link opens self-contained PDF file)
Advances in communication and transportation facilitated the development of vast networks of vaudeville theatres across the continent. Yet there were performers, either because of their third-tier talent, family commitments, or personal preference, did not achieve the prestige --- or seek the grind --- of a 40-week national tour. In New England, these performers were known as "Coast Defenders" --- they worked up, down, and through New England from Bridgeport to Bangor, working only regional circuits of smaller theatres. This program tells the story of small-time Vaudeville in New England, as well as the story of those New Englanders who made the jump to the big-time.

Tracking Your Vaudeville & Circus Ancestors
(one hour; link opens self-contained PDF file)
Even the most experienced genealogy researcher can get stymied when facing the challenge of tracking an ancestor who followed the itinerant lifestyle of the vaudeville or circus performer. In this program, the presenter relates his own experience researching Vaudeville ancestors, and provides suggestions and resources that just might lead to a long-awaited breakthrough. There are no guarantees, of course, but with the growing number of newspapers being digitized and indexed, there is more hope than ever before for those hunting down vaudevillians in the family.

Program Brochure ... & A Curator's Primer on American Vaudeville:

"A Vaudeville Retrospective" Brochure
(Link to a printable PDF file of an informative brochure about "A Vaudeville Retrospective.")

A Curator's Primer on American Vaudeville 1880-1930
(Link to a printable PDF file of a brief introduction to vaudeville and a helpful guide to booking and hosting the illustrated lecture presentation, "A Vaudeville Retrospective.")

Sample Graphics, Audio, & Video:

Sample Presentation Graphics
(Link to PDF sample of hard-copy and digitally-projected presentation graphics.)

Sample Presentation Video - Vaudeville Acrobats - 1902
(Link to an equivalent YouTube video clip of the Julian Troupe of acrobats from 1902. They are thought to have European origins, but were known to have performed extensively in the U.S. in both circus and Vaudeville from the mid-1880s onward. According to the Edison catalog, they commanded the highest salary of any gymnastic troupe at the time.)

Sample Presentation Audio & Video - Blossom Seeley & Benny Fields - 1928
(Link to an equivalent YouTube video clip of the headliner duo of Blossom Seeley (1886-1974) --- "The Queen of Syncopation" --- and her husband, Benny Fields (1894-1959), singing "Hello Bluebird" with a delivery that embodies the effervescence of the vaudevillian spirit.)

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