Tony pastor biography samples

American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner

For the saxophonist and bandleader, see Tony Pastor (bandleader).

Antonio Pastor (May 28, 1837 – August 26, 1908) was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind Americanvaudeville in the mid-to-late-nineteenth century.

Tony pastor biography samples

He was sometimes referred to as the "Dean of Vaudeville". The strongest elements of his entertainments were an almost-jingoistic brand of United States patriotism and a strong commitment to attracting a "mixed-gender" audience, the latter being something revolutionary in the male-oriented variety halls of the mid-century.^[1] Although he was a performer and producer, Pastor is best known for "cleaning up" bawdy variety acts and presenting a clean and family-friendly genre called vaudeville.

A collection of his papers is maintained at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas in Austin,^&