The History Of New Hampshire Movie Theaters (Pt. 2)
Movie theaters near Portsmouth, New Hampshire may be the new face of theater but as with most things in New England, theater has a long and eventful history. The first public performance pieces in the area probably originated centuries ago amongst Native American tribes. The newly arrived Europeans in New England, being Pilgrims and Puritans, discouraged or banned outright public theatrical displays. To most Puritans, God and the Bible were considered sufficient to wholly occupy one's leisure time and also felt that "disguise is sinful." Regional playwrights such as Mercy Otis Warren helped to widen the acceptance of the theater through staging political satire in the years leading up to the American Revolution. The theater remained to most—especially those in authority—a distraction from church and work at best and a catalyst for uprisings at worst. As a result of these strong suppressing forces, theaters did not expand in New England as quickly as in some of the other colonies, such as Virginia.
It was not until the nineteenth century arrived that the theater in New England became more common. In this primordial stage of New England theater, it was not uncommon for violent fights and arson to take place surrounding performances. In 1844, Boston actor W.H. Smith wrote "The Drunkard," which became an immensely successful hit and was performed for decades. The works of Smith and other regional writers increased the desire for playhouses and soon after the region began to attract touring performers. By the end of the century numerous national and regional film companies were in business in New England, such as Rhode Island's Eastern Film Corporation, the Photoplay Corporation in Massachusetts, and Dirigo Pictures and Pine Tree Pictures in Maine. }
The "American Renaissance" was a cultural movement that was impacted heavily by the art of New England. To fulfill the rising demand for American films film companies drew inspiration from such New England authors as Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne alone would have his The Scarlet Letter adapted for the screen four times between 1909 and 1934. The New England author with the most film adaptations, however, may be Henry James, with at least fifteen films to his name, including The Bostonians (1984), The Europeans (1979), The Green Room (1978), The Portrait of a Lady, and The Innocents (1961) (based on his novella "The Turn of the Screw"). Both Hawthorne and James were known for stark, haunted stories and the genres of mystery, suspense and horror are somewhat a specialty of numerous New England authors, which has been speculated to be a result of both the region's past and its landscape. The diverse land in the area—from ocean shores to rocky mountains—and its sometimes notorious weather provide filmmakers with a great backdrop with which to set up a story.
New England theater itself, of course, had a strong influence on early eras of film. The playwright from Connecticut Eugene O'Neill may be the most important name in the history of New England theater. The year 1940 saw the work of another theater luminary, playwright Thornton Wilder, move from the stage to the cinema with his "Our Town." The filming of Our Town took place in Peterborough, New Hampshire, the place of inspiration for the play. New England's way of life are especially presented at the forefront of the works by these two men. Many plays and films featured the contrast between hazardous urban life with the simplistic life in small fishing villages, including 1915's The Old Homestead. Large parts of the film version were shot in New Hampshire's rural setting to bring the playwright Denman Thompson's vision to life.
Today the dramatic arts are given a great deal of praise and support and theaters once condemned now tend to be treasured. This brief history hopefully has given you something to think about while you sit in a New Hampshire movie theater waiting for the show to start.
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