author
Bronson Howard
1842–1908
A pioneering American playwright, he helped prove that homegrown drama could thrive on the U.S. stage. His comedies and dramas captured American life at a moment when the theater was finding its own voice.
2 Audiobooks
Shenandoah : A Military Comedy Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911
by Bronson Howard
The Autobiography of a Play Papers on Play-Making, II
by Bronson Howard
About the author
Born in Detroit on October 7, 1842, he began his career in journalism before turning to the stage. The success of Saratoga in 1870 set him on a new path, and he went on to become one of the best-known American dramatists of the late 19th century.
His plays often focused on contemporary American society rather than copying European models. Among his best-known works are Young Mrs. Winthrop, The Henrietta, and Shenandoah, and he is often remembered as one of the first U.S. playwrights to make a sustained living from writing plays.
Howard was also important behind the scenes of American theater. He helped organize support for playwrights' professional rights and served as the first president of the Society of American Dramatists and Composers. He died on August 4, 1908, in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey.