Introduction

Summary

The fi rst in this two-volume biography, Ira Aldridge: The Early Years, 1807– 1833, tells of the birth, upbringing, schooling, and formative experiences that shaped the direction of the life of a black youth in lower Manhattan, leading him to aspire to become a professional actor. One event in particular appears to have driven Ira Aldridge to harbor such a lofty ambition. According to a biographical pamphlet published around 1848,

his fi rst visit to a theatre fi xed the great purpose of his life, and established the sole end and aim of his existence. He would be an actor. He says at this hour that he was bewildered, amazed, dazzled, fascinated, by what to him was splendour beyond all that his mind had imagined, and mimic life so captivating, that his own real existence would be worthless unless he in some way participated in such imitations as he witnessed.

Yet in early nineteenth-century New York it seemed most unlikely—indeed, virtually impossible—that a black teenager with no previous acting experience would ever be able to fulfi ll so grand an ambition. After all, there were no black actors on the legitimate stage anywhere in the United States at that time. An effort to establish an African Theatre in New York that catered mainly to black audiences was just getting launched, but after a few years it was put out of business by riots instigated by a rival white theater manager.

Aldridge, however, persisted in his quest. Some accounts say he joined the troupe at the African Theatre, performing in at least one melodrama and one Shakespearean play before the theater closed down. He also volunteered to carry costumes to the Chatham Garden Theatre for a visiting British actor, Henry Wallack—a job that afforded him access behind the scenes to productions staged there as well as an opportunity to form a friendship with Wallack, who appears to have encouraged him by offering tips or training in acting. Henry Wallack's younger brother, James Wallack, also an actor, may have been the one to suggest that Aldridge try seeking employment at British theaters. Some sources say that James accompanied him to England in order to introduce him to the London theater world.