Sheldon Cheney

Born in Berkeley, California, Sheldon Warren Cheney was an American author, art critic, and theater writer. He studied at the University of California and later became a prominent voice in discussions of modern drama and stage design.

He is especially remembered for founding Theatre Arts Magazine in 1916 and editing it in its early years. His writing on the theater helped introduce readers to new ideas in performance, production, and dramatic art at a time when American stage culture was changing quickly.

Cheney also wrote widely beyond theater, publishing books on art history, religion, and biography. That broad range gives his work a distinctive feel: informed by scholarship, but aimed at general readers who were curious about culture, ideas, and the arts.