Roles Played by Anna Cora Mowatt

A History of Her Decade on Stage

The tables below chronicle Anna Cora Mowatt's career as an actress from her debut at the Park Theatre in 1845 to her retirement in the spring of 1854.  Some peculiarities of this time to be aware of as you read -- At this time, the U.S. theatre world was not Broadway-centered.   Leading performers toured playhouses scattered up and down the Eastern seaboard.  Neither was an evening at the theater necessarily limited to only one production as is standard today.  In the U.S., a night at a venue like the Park might feature a  full-length play and a short comedy to finish off the night.  At Niblo's Garden, there might be only one show, but with a concert or fireworks before or after and a  40 minute intermission to allow visitors to enjoy refreshments at the on-site beer-garden or ice-cream parlor.  In  London, Victorian playbills usually featured three shows - a five-act main feature, a one-act, and a farce to round out the night.

Mowatt's Debut Year

This was an incredible period of study and productivity for Mowatt. After a sensational debut, she spent her first year on-stage performing almost constantly.  She rehearsed, mastered, and performed at least twenty-three roles in her first year.  She performed dramatic monologues from several other plays as well.

U.S. Tour (E.L. Davenport Joins Mowatt)

After an unsatisfactory experience with her first acting partner, William Crisp, Mowatt hired E.L. Davenport.  Together, they toured the U.S. to mounting public acclaim and critical success.  During this period, Mowatt wrote her second play, "Armand."  This romantic drama was designed especially to feature her and her new leading man's particular talents.

European Tour  (1847-1851)

Anna Cora Mowatt and E.L. Davenport sailed for England in November of 1848.  They played the Theatre Royal in Manchester before being engaged by the manager of the Princess Theatre in London.  Their next major appearance was at Henry Spicer's Olympic Theatre.  Mowatt and Davenport would debut roles in original scripts by Spicer.  By far the bulk of their work in London was at the Marylebone Theatre.  They worked their from the fall of 1848 until Walter Watts' arrest in March of 1850. Mowatt would not work again for almost a year.  She toured briefly with G.V. Brooke in Ireland before returning to the U.S. in 1851.

CHARACTER	PLAY	THEATER	DATE
Edith	"Lords of Ellington"	Olympic Theatre, London	May, 1848
Rosalind	"As You Like It"	Marylebone Theatre, London	Sept., 1848
Cicely	"The Shadow on the Wall"	Marylebone Theatre, London	Jan., 1849
Elvira	"Pizarro"	Marylebone Theatre, London	March, 1849
Mary Tudor	"Mary Tudor"	Marylebone Theatre, London	March, 1849
Florina	"The Heart's Trials"	Marylebone Theatre, London	April, 1849
Virginia	"Virginia"	Marylebone Theatre, London	April, 1849
Cecil Howard	"The Witch Wife"	Marylebone Theatre, London	June, 1849
Imogen	"Cymbeline"	Marylebone Theatre, London	Oct., 1849
Constance	"The Love Chase"	Marylebone Theatre, London	Nov. 1849
Viola	"Twelfth Night"	Marylebone Theatre, London	Dec., 1849
Ariadne	"Ariadne"	Royal Olympic Theatre, London	Jan., 1850
Juanna	"The Noble Heart"	Royal Olympic Theatre, London	Feb., 1850
The Queen	"Richard III"	Theatre Royal, Dublin	Feb., 1851
Mrs. Ormsby Delmain	"The Serious Family"	Newcastle-on-Tyne	April, 1851

Return to the U.S. (1851-1854)

Although E.L. Davenport, now married, was able to remain in England and continue his career there, Anna Cora Mowatt returned to the U.S. in 1851, touring alone.  She experienced great success with in the role of Pathenia in the show "Ingomar: the Barbarian."  Her career was on an upswing in 1852 when she suddenly announced that she was going to leave the stage to marry William F. Ritchie, editor of the Richmond Enquirer.  She toured to sold-out playhouses across the eastern seaboard for five months. Mowatt tearfully ended her career as an actress at a gala benefit show at Niblo's Garden in New York on June 3rd, 1854.

Resources

Links have been provided throughout to audio recordings available at Librivox of full cast dramatic readings of plays in which Mowatt played leading roles.

Anna Cora Mowatt's "Autobiography of an Actress" is available online to read here and as an audiobook here.

Further Reading on Mowatt's Acting Career

 Back to Index Page