Becoming Ira Aldridge, a Black Shakespearean Actor in Nineteenth Century Ireland

Book excerpt: This study throws light on a little-studied but emerging field within Irish studies: Black history. It focuses on an American-born Black Shakespearean actor, Ira Aldridge, who, to follow his vocation and escape prejudice in America, travelled to England in 1824, aged only 17. Despite some racial stereotyping, his rise to prominence in the theatrical world was meteoric. Until his premature death in 1867, he played to audiences throughout Europe—from Galway in Ireland to St Petersburg in Russia—winning plaudits and accolades, and recognition as the leading Shakespearean tragedian of the day. Aldridge was not just an actor; wherever he performed, he also delivered a message about the cruelty of enslavement and the need for Black equality. This publication focuses on Aldridge’s special relationship with Ireland and its theatrical traditions over a period of three decades.