FALSE FACE, FALSE HEART, my YA Historical Fiction project, set in the Bowery Theatre in New York City during the tumultuous year of 1849 has sent me on a journey
Combing Through Research.
The more I delved into the real life characters, the city’s impoverished Lower East Side and the gentry mansions uptown, the more captivated I became. The themes explored in my story are relevant to today’s social and political climate: anti-immigration, income inequality, police brutality, women’s rights, and disease.
The Bowery Theatre located near Chatham Square was at the center of the tumult. The broad range of entertainment produced there such as “Blood and Thunder” melodramas full of spectacle and theatrical violence, Mose the Fireman – a folk hero character beloved by the working class, and of course a little Shakespeare thrown in, all piqued my interest. (More to come in future posts!) All this, combined with the fanciful allure of ghost stories tickles a forever “theatre kid,” like me. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned in this blog,
COMBING THROUGH RESEARCH.
Photo Credit: New York Public Library
Frank S. Chanfrau
Watching the great Edwin Forrest on stage inspired Frank Chanfrau to become an actor. Early in his career he was known for being an excellent mimic, imitating Junius Brutus Booth (father of John Wilkes Booth), Thomas Hamblin, manager of the Bowery Theatre, and Edwin Forrest himself.
Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest began his acting career at the age of 14 in Philadelphia. Much to his mother’s disappointment, the acting bug bit the young man and there was no turning back.
Thomas Hamblin
Thomas Hamblin, an actor, director, womanizer and suspected murderer took over the management of New York City’s Bowery Theatre in 1830.
