Exhibits: Irish American Hall of History

Dion Boucicault

1820 - 1890

Theatre

Dion Boucicault was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1820. His mother was from a well-known Irish Protestant family, the Darleys, not much is known about his father. At a young age he pursued a career in theatre and at age 16 his first play A Legend of the Devil's Dyke opened in Brighton, England. He followed with the successful London Assurance (1841) and also had success with two adaptations of French plays. From 1853-1860 he lived in America where he toured the country and enjoyed great popularity. He was the greatest dramatist of the Victorian era. He pioneered the role of the director in the theatre and was responsible for many innovations in stagecraft. Like P.T. Barnum he was a great showman and enjoyed great critical success and failure, making and losing fortunes. Other notable plays of his are The Shaughraun and The Colleen Bawn.

External Links

• Dion Boucicault - www.theatrehistory.com
• The Life of Anglo-Irish Dramatist Dion Boucicault
• Dion Boucicault - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia