THE GOOD NEWS ON STAGE: EVANGELICALISM AND THEATRE PRACTICE IN ANTEBELLUM AMERICA

Abstract

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I will never be able to adequately thank the hundreds of people who have built me into the scholar, artist, and teacher—into the person—I am today. Nevertheless, I have to begin by expressing my unending love and appreciation for the two people who have trained me up the most and who have sacrificed so much in the process—my mom and stepfather, Jennifer and Sean Hughes. I am who I am because of you. Thank you for everything. Thank you to my dad, Joe D’Ambrosi, for our many chats on my drives home from work or school. Your pride in me is one of the greatest gifts of my life. To my siblings, Rachel, Alexandra, and Christian: you are my built-in best friends. Being your big brother is my most favorite role. Thank you for all those times I forced you to go to Epcot with me. I know it is your least favorite park. And to my big, beautiful family, thank you for your unconditional love and unrelenting prayer. Thank you to my wonderful friends, old and new, without whom I would not have survived graduate school or this dissertation process. I especially want to thank Michael Bayler, Carolynn Stouder, and the Taylor family who loved on me when it mattered most. To my partner-in-crime and the other half of this cohort, Greer Gerni, I am so thankful I had you to support me, challenge me, and encourage me. And to Dr. Julia Listengarten, my mentor at Theatre UCF, thank you for being the first person to see a scholar in me. To my work family at Marriott’s Cypress Harbour, especially my boss, Ryan Deuel: since 2014, you have rooted for me, accommodated me, and reminded me that I always have a place on the team. I always seem to be at work when something major happens in my life— including receiving my IU acceptance email. Thank you to Linda Pisano, Jonathan Michaelson, and the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance at IU for their generous financial support of this project, including countless conference travel awards and two summer research grants. Thank you also to the following people for their invaluable assistance in my archival research: Micah Hoggatt of the Harvard Theatre Collection at Harvard University, Eric Colleary of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and Elizabeth Burgess of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, CT. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Melody Kemp who generously edited my dissertation and Christina Thomas who offered helpful feedback. I must thank my excellent dissertation committee for their guidance, wisdom, and discernment during the writing process, and throughout my entire graduate experience at IU— Dr. Candy Gunther Brown, Dr. Jennifer Goodlander, and Dr. Ronald Wainscott. Much of this dissertation started as assignments in each of your seminars. And finally, to my committee chair, mentor, and friend, Dr. Eleanor Owicki: it is such an honor being your first advisee. Thank you for believing in my scholarship, for inspiring my teaching, and for supporting my artistry. I want to be like you when I grow up. Onward.