Actor Migration to and from Britain in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

This chapter focuses on two aspects of migration impacting on nineteenth-century actors. The first is on the migration to Britain of the black American actor Ira Aldridge. Despite his success in the British provinces, Aldridge was rarely engaged by any of the major London theatres and latterly received more acclaim as a touring actor in Germany, Russia, Poland and other parts of Europe than in his adopted country. The second aspect considers British and Irish actors, such as G. V. Brooke and George Coppin, who migrated to or stayed for extended periods in Australia, often for economic reasons. The benefits of migration were variable: Aldridge was economically successful, but never quite accepted by the British establishment because of his race. British and Irish actors who settled in Australia enjoyed variable success economically, but invariably served, sometimes unwittingly, as ambassadors for British cultural values.