Augustus Thomas
Augustus Thomas was an influential American playwright and theater figure born in St. Louis, Missouri, around 1857 or 1859. Raised in a family with a strong interest in politics and the arts, he began working at a young age to support his family and was introduced to theater through his father’s passion for oratory and performance. Thomas wrote his first play, "The Burglar," at the age of fourteen, which marked the beginning of a successful writing career that would see him create over sixty plays. His work often delved into social issues and incorporated elements of melodrama, achieving notable successes with plays like "Alabama," "In Mizzoura," and "The Copperhead," the latter contributing to Lionel Barrymore's rise to stardom.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Thomas also gained recognition as a producer and actor, establishing himself as a savvy businessman in the theater world. He was honored with awards for his contributions to drama, including a gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1914. Despite his prominence, his later work, especially after World War II, did not resonate as strongly, leading to a decline in his popularity. His final play, "Still Waters," focused on the opposition to prohibition but was not commercially successful. Overall, Augustus Thomas's impact on theater laid the groundwork for future developments in dramatic storytelling and cinematography.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Augustus Thomas
Playwright
- Born: January 8, 1857
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
- Died: 1934
Biography
Augustus Thomas, the son of a medical doctor, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1857 or 1859. His father was a well-known orator and an organizer of the St. Louis Republican party. He introduced Augustus to the theater at an early age and took him to a number of plays. At the age of ten, Augustus quit school to work and provide extra income for his family. He worked in a variety of jobs, including railroad clerk, page in the state legislature of Missouri and then in the United States Congress, and as a newspaper reporter. When he was fourteen, he worked at Pope’s Theater in St. Louis and began writing plays. His first play, The Burglar, was adapted from a short story written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Thomas organized a small theatrical traveling company to perform this play and a comedy show, but incurred a rather large debt after a short period of time. In 1889, he expanded The Burglar to four acts. It played in New York and was a financial success.
Thomas wrote an original play, Alabama, in 1891. He incorporated the drama of character and theme into the standard melodramatic plot routines used at that time. Addressing several relevant social issues, the play was a success, allowing Thomas to devote his full time to writing plays. In 1893, he wrote another very successful play, In Mizzoura: A Play in Four Acts, a comedy about a sheriff in love with his neighbor’s daughter. His hit play Arizona: A Drama in Four Acts, a Western melodrama, was another financial success.
In the early 1900’s, Thomas lived in Paris, where he interacted with some of the great playwrights. After returning to New York, he wrote The Witching Hour: A Drama in Four Acts, the story of a murder trial that incorporates the use of telepathy and hypnosis. In 1914, Thomas was awarded a gold medal by the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his contributions to drama and theater. His most successful play may have been The Copperhead: A Drama in Four Acts, a historical drama involving a Illinois man who was unjustly accused of Confederate sympathies during the Civil War. It propelled actorLionel Barrymore to stardom.
In addition to being a leading playwright during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Thomas was also a producer and an actor. A shrewd businessman, he managed some other actors, most notably actress Julia Marlowe. A skillful dramatist, Thomas wrote over sixty plays. An excellent orator, Thomas was in demand as a speaker for discussing historical and social issues. He was granted honorary degrees by Williams College (1914) and Columbia College (1921). He wrote and produced his last play, Still Waters: A Play in Three Acts, in 1926. Centering the theme of the play around the opposition to prohibition, it turned out to be a commercial flop. Thomas lost the bulk of his wealth and retired. With the changes that occurred in theater after World War II, the popularity of plays written by Thomas quickly dwindled. The themes and techniques that he developed in his plays were contributing factors in the development and use of cinematography in the movies.