List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Deriving a Dramaturgy of Value1. What William Brown Knew: The African Theatre and the Growing Threat of Legitimacy2. The Value of a Name: P. T. Barnum's American Dream3. Taking the Reins: The American Reading Career of Mrs. Fanny Kemble4. Both Booth's Brothers: The Bulletproof Brand5. Our American Shakespeare: The Central Park Statue and National Identity6. Erasing the Lines: Editing the Wallack BenefitConclusion: The Dramaturgy of Value at LargeNotesBibliographyIndex

"Theatres of Value is a fascinating study of branding, marketing, and commodities as values." — CHOICE"In inventing what she calls 'the dramaturgy of value,' Danielle Rosvally examines economic conditions and applies specific business models to both familiar and lesser-known incidents in the creation, marketing, and consumption of nineteenth-century American Shakespearean performance. In doing so, she uncovers layer upon layer of cultural significance, demonstrating how producers, actors, and audiences helped to create America’s emerging sense of nationhood and national identity." — Cary M. Mazer, author of Double Shakespeares: Emotional-Realist Acting and Contemporary PerformanceTheatres of Value takes an interdisciplinary approach that enriches historical analysis and helps readers understand familiar Shakespeare archives in new ways. Rosvally's work is conceptually nuanced yet highly readable—her engaging storytelling unfolds against a theoretical backdrop knit from theatre history, social and economic theory, performance studies, cultural studies, and rhetorical history.” — Elisabeth H. Kinsley, author of Here in This Island We Arrived: Shakespeare and Belonging in Immigrant New York