Theater Program

On Dec. 7, 1784, a special monody (also known as an ode) was likely performed at Philadelphia’s Southwark Theater. Built in 1767, the Southwark Theater was located on the southeast corner of today’s South & Leithgow Streets. It was the first and oldest theater to open in America. During the Revolutionary War, theater performances were banned in the city — they were seen as a sign of British corruption and luxury. During the British occupation, British soldiers used the theater to stage their own performances, with Major John André even painting some of the sets. Performances were slowly reintroduced in the 1780s, with most performances disguised as lectures. The larger Chestnut Street Theater replaced the Southwark in 1794. This specific performance is an ode to the trials and tribulations that revolutionaries faced during the war. The program’s front-page ends with a line from Horace’s Odes and says, “It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country.” 

Artifact Details

• Theater Program
  Printed by Thomas Bradford
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  December 7, 1784
  Ink on Paper
  Museum of the American Revolution, 2003.01.175