The Wild West was popular with American audiences long before the appearance of the Hollywood western. From 1829 to 1881, playgoers throughout the nation applauded frontier dramas that celebrated conventional American values like rugged individualism and the ideology of Manifest Destiny. Yet, as Pioneer Performances shows, a more subversive cultural agenda often worked within the orthodox framework of this popular drama. Drawing on a range of plays and public entertainments, Matthew Rebhorn uncovers the heterodox themes in the nineteenth-century stage, ultimately revealing the frontier as a set of complex performative practices imbued with a sense of trenchant social critique.
The dramatis personae of Rebhorn's study includes Buffalo Bill Cody; Gowongo Mohawk, a cross-dressing Native American performer; T.D. Rice, the blackface minstrel who created the role of Jim Crow; Edwin Forrest, the biggest star of the nineteenth-century stage; and Dion Boucicault, an expatriate Irish playwright who penned a sophisticated critique of race relations in the American South. In addition to this colorful cast of characters, works by lesser-known figures like James Kirke Paulding, Augustin Daly, and Joaquin Miller serve to illustrate the complex interpretations of the frontier on the American stage. With each case, Rebhorn demonstrates the multifaceted, politically charged nature of nineteenth-century drama.
Closing with a coda that considers latter-day representations of the frontier, such as in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain and the staged photo opportunities on George W. Bush's Texas ranch, Rebhorn reveals the lasting impact of the genre and the performative practices it first introduced on the American stage. Drawn from in-depth research in theater history, this study illustrates how the frontier was-and still is-defined in performance.
Available On:
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Released: 2012
by Josh Sharpe – March 09, 2026
Following performances in London and New York, award-winning singer and performer Henry Patterson has set the release of his debut studio album, Broadway Maybe.
by A.A. Cristi – March 09, 2026
TRW has secured worldwide performance rights for NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE: The '70s Beehive Musical, expanding on the success of BEEHIVE: The 60s Musical.
by A.A. Cristi – March 06, 2026
Theatrical icon Charles Busch and cabaret artist Travis Moser have released their new album 'MIXTAPE', recorded live at The Laurie Beechman Theatre and now available on all music platforms.
by Josh Sharpe – March 06, 2026
Theater artist Charles Busch and cabaret artist Travis Moser have teamed up to release their new album, 'Mixtape,' based on the live show of the same name, recorded at NYC's Laurie Beechman Theatre.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – March 06, 2026
Singer-songwriter Jessie Altman has released her new EP Sleepwalking today, marking the first full project under her newly embraced artist name.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – March 06, 2026
Concord Theatricals Recordings has released Georgia Stitt's Bell Tower, an album featuring twenty-six theatrical art songs performed by Broadway stars and recording artists.
by Team BWW – March 05, 2026
Voting is now open for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Stage Recording Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in theatrical and performance-based recordings released during the 2025 calendar year.
by Josh Sharpe – March 04, 2026
West End performer Killian Donnelly (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables) is featured on a new space-opera concept album from musical collective LIM.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – March 02, 2026
Center Stage Records will release If the Stars Were Mine, the debut album from Claybourne Elder – best known for starring in HBO's “The Gilded Age” and Broadway's Company – in digital and streaming formats.
by Josh Sharpe – February 27, 2026
Tony Award-nominated composer has released The Symphonic Suites, an album comprised of new symphonic interpretations of four of his celebrated musical theatre scores, including Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, Einstein: A Matter of Time, and Artus Excalibur (aka XCalibur).
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 27, 2026
Ghostlight Records has released Next to Normal: Original London Cast Recording as a special 2-CD set.
by A.A. Cristi – February 26, 2026
Beat by Beat Press has released three new youth musicals—OLYMPUS: THE GREEK ROCK MUSICAL, NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN, and STAR POWER—for global licensing.
by Team BWW – February 23, 2026
This is the final chance to submi nominations for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Stage Recording Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in theatrical and performance-based recordings released during the 2025 calendar year.
by Josh Sharpe – February 20, 2026
The offical motion picture soundtrack has been released for EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, the new cinematic experience from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 20, 2026
Joy Machine Records has released All the World's a Stage: Original Cast Recording – the new musical with book, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon.
by Nicole Rosky – February 20, 2026
The Wingstastic Book Fair brings theatre lovers an extraordinary opportunity to own rare and signed Broadway treasures while supporting a vital nonprofit mission: preserving theatre history.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 20, 2026
Joy Machine Records has released All the World’s a Stage: Original Cast Recording – the new musical with book, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 20, 2026
Center Stage Records has released the world premiere recording of THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT, based on the acclaimed novel.
by Nicole Rosky – February 25, 2026
Broadway's Andrew Keenan-Bolger is making a showstopping YA debut with Limelight (now available where books are sold), a poignant coming-of-age novel about identity, first love, and the power of the arts to help young people feel seen.
by Nicole Rosky – February 20, 2026
Broadway's Andrew Keenan-Bolger is making a showstopping YA debut with Limelight, a poignant coming-of-age novel about identity, first love, and the power of the arts to help young people feel seen.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 19, 2026
Adam Gwon’s new musical All the World’s a Stage will be released as an original cast album.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 19, 2026
The Al Hirschfeld Foundation will present a new collection titled Hirschfeld's Icons: A Poster Book featuring iconic figures like Elvis and Madonna.
by Josh Sharpe – February 18, 2026
Tony Award winner and international musical theater performer Alfie Boe has set the release of his first-ever album of predominantly original material, Face Myself, arriving on April 10.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 17, 2026
The Grand Teton Music Festival will release of Mahler: Symphony No.
by Chloe Rabinowitz – February 17, 2026
The concept album for the new musical in development, Signs of Life, will be released on all streaming platforms.
by Josh Sharpe – February 17, 2026
The Housemaid, the hit thriller film starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, will arrive on Blu-ray, DVD, and an Amazon-Exclusive 4K UHD Combo Pack on March 17 from Lionsgate.
by Josh Sharpe – February 16, 2026
Atlanta-based composer and music producer Eugene IV is releasing an album featuring music from and inspired by the Theatrical Outfit world premiere of the musical Young John Lewis.
by Josh Sharpe – February 12, 2026
Claybourne Elder will release a studio recording of his popular one-man show, If the Stars Were Mine on April 3 from Center Stage Records.
by Josh Sharpe – February 11, 2026
Just in time for the streaming debut of Wicked: For Good on Peacock, Republic Records will release a brand-new pop-up vinyl edition of the soundtrack featuring an embossed cover and a pop-up gatefold jacket depicting Elphaba, Glinda, Grimmerie pages, and more.
Videos