Existing comment:
Charles Frohman, 1860-1915
Born Sandusky, Ohio
Charles Frohman moved to New York City as a teenager. With the help of his brothers, who were involved in the theater world, he began to serve as an advance agent for touring companies. His first success as an independent producer was the Civil War melodrama Shenandoah, which ran for 250 performances in 1889. Three years later, his construction of the Empire Theatre on Fortieth Street and Broadway prompted the move of New York's theater district from Fourteenth Street to its present location. Frohman was instrumental in launching theater as an entertainment industry through his co-founding of the controversial Theatrical Syndicate, a monopoly that assigned actors to roles in Broadway shows that toured in select venues. By the time of his death, Frohman had produced more than 600 plays.
This portrait by José María Mora, a major nineteenth-century stage photographer, is one of a few surviving photographs of Frohman, who, despite his public job, led a very private life.
Jose Maria Mora, c 1885 |