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Kenneth Macgowan
1888–1963
A major force in American theater and film, this producer, critic, and historian helped shape modern stagecraft and later brought that sense of innovation to Hollywood. His work bridged Broadway, scholarship, and early color cinema in a way that still makes him an interesting figure today.
2 Audiobooks
Early Man in the New World
by Kenneth Macgowan, Joseph A. Hester
Continental stagecraft
by Kenneth Macgowan
About the author
Born in 1888, Kenneth Macgowan became known as one of the most influential producers in American theater during the early 20th century. He worked as a drama critic before moving into production, and he is especially remembered for his role in the Provincetown Players and for helping bring ambitious, modern works to the stage.
He later moved into film, where he produced for Hollywood studios and was associated with technically important projects including Becky Sharp (1935), one of the first feature films made in three-strip Technicolor. Alongside his production work, he also wrote extensively about theater and film history, giving readers a clear record of how American performance was changing in his lifetime.
Macgowan died in 1963. His legacy rests on a rare combination of practical showmanship and serious historical writing: he was not only involved in making theater and movies, but also in explaining why they mattered.