Sheldon Cheney

Born in Berkeley, California, Sheldon Warren Cheney studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1908. His interests soon widened from design and bookmaking to theater and criticism, and by the 1910s he was writing about the new currents reshaping modern drama.

Cheney founded Theatre Arts Magazine in 1916 and edited it until 1921. Through the magazine, he became an important advocate for modernist theater in the United States, promoting new stagecraft, supporting little-theater activity, and encouraging emerging American playwrights while helping readers engage with ideas coming from Europe.

He also wrote books on theater and art, including The New Movement in the Theatre, and built a reputation as both an author and an art critic. His work stands out for bringing together architecture, visual design, and performance, making him a distinctive voice in early twentieth-century American cultural life.