Daly's Theater records, 1872-1899

Augustin Daly, American playwright, adaptor, and critic, is often considered as one of America's greatest theatrical managers. He opened his first New York theater, The Fifth Avenue in 1869 and a few years later established his famous Daly's Theatre on Broadway with a stock company in which John Drew and Ada Rehan were stars and many other 19th century luminaries appeared from time to time.

Daly, John Augustin 1838-1899 American dramatist and theater manage. At 21 he became a dramatic critic and by 30 he was serving in that capacity formany important newspapers. He wrote and adapted many plays including Under the Gaslight and Leah the Forsaken which he adapted from Deborah originaly by Mosenthal. In 1869 he began managing the Fifth Avenue Theatre New York. It was there that he produced a season of Shakespearian plays. Several years later it burned down and after rebuilding he retired from management. He toured England investigating the theatre scene in London he returned to America armed with a British talent pool. Renaming the Fifth Avenue theatre Daly's Theatre he was a great hit with his new found but then unknown talent. By 1882 1883 Daly was well established as the most enterpising and succesful theatrical manager on Broadway. Eight years before his death Daly began construction of his own theater in London and it opened it's doors two years later with the production of Taming of the Shrew. He returned to New York in 1894 and died very well regarded on both sides of the Atlantic in 1899.