WILLIAMSBURG, November 21, 1771.
At the Theatre, on Saturday the 23rd Instant, EVERY MAN IN HIS HUMOUR, with DAMON AND PHILLIDA.
Virginia Gazette (Purdie & Dixon) November 21, 1771
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About this entry:
Attendance at the theatre was popular in 18th-century Williamsburg where traveling companies of actors offered their productions during the spring and fall court sessions and when the House of Burgesses met. Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were frequent attendees although there is no evidence that either man attended the theatricals listed in this advertisement. Williamsburg was the site of the first purpose-built theatre in 1716 and welcomed this addition to the cultural life of the capital city in spite of opposition to plays and their content from some religious groups.
Sources: CWI Sp03, 8-16
