Sophie Treadwell

Sophie Treadwell (October 3, 1885 – February 20, 1970), was an American playwright and journalist of the first half of the 20th century. She is best known for her play Machinal which is often included in drama anthologies as an example of expressionism or modernism in theatre. Treadwell also wrote novels and serial stories which appeared in newspapers. In addition to writing plays Treadwell also produced, directed, and acted in some of her productions. The styles and subjects of Treadwell's writings are vast, but many present women's issues, subjects of current media coverage, or aspects of Sophie's Mexican heritage.

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Heritage and childhood

Sophie Anita Treadwell was born in 1885 in Stockton, California.[2] Between 1890 and 1891, Sophie's father, Alfred Treadwell, deserted her and her mother and moved to San Francisco.[2][3] In 1902, Sophie and her mother, Nettie Fairchild Treadwell moved to San Francisco.[2] Although Sophie's father was also born in Stockton, CA, he spent most of his formative years in Mexico with his native born mother.[3]

University and early career

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Treadwell received her Bachelor of Letters in French from the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied from 1902-1906.[2][3] Due to financial pressure, Treadwell worked several jobs during her studies; receiving additional training in shorthand and typing, teaching English as a second language in the evenings, as well as working in the circulation department of the San Francisco Call.[3] It was also during this time that she first began to write; early drafts of shorter plays, songs, and short fictional stories.[3] During college, she also had her first brushes with mental illness, a variety of nervous conditions that would plague her and lead to several extended hospitilizations throughout her life.[2][3] After college, Treadwell studied acting and was mentored by renowned Polish actress Helena Modjeska, whose memoirs she was hired to write in 1908.[2] In 1910, Sophie married William O. McGeehan, a sports reporter.[2]

New York and Broadway

In 1915, Sophie moved to New York.[2] Treadwell joined the Lucy Stone League of suffragettes.[2] Here Sophie befriended and became associated with many well known modernist personalities and artists of the time, notably Louise and Walter Arensberg who ran a New York Salon, and painter Marcel Duchamp.

Eight of Treadwell's plays appeared on Broadway between 1922-1941.[4] Gringo was Treadwell's first play to be produced on Broadway.[2] Most of these plays were merely written by Treadwell, but in addition she produced Lone Valley and O, Nightingale, the later of which she also staged.[4] New York became the setting for the majority of Treadwell's plays.[5]

Later years

In the 1950's and 60's Treadwell turned to writing mostly fiction in the form of short stories and novels, which may be influenced by the lack of success from her Broadway ventures.[3] Treadwell lived for a time as an expatriate in Vienna, Austria as well as in Torremolinos in Southern Spain.[3] When Sophie returned to the U.S. she lived in Newton, Connecticut before moving to Tucson, Arizona where she spent her final years.[3]

Plays and novels

Treadwell is credited with writing 39 plays,[3] numerous serials and journalistic articles, short stories, and novels. The subjects of her writings are as diverse as the mediums she was writing in. Many of Treadwell's works are difficult to obtain and the majority of her plays have not previously been produced as of this writing. Below is a chronological list of her known works.

Plays

Novels

Journalism

Treadwell's first job as a journalist was with the San Francisco Bulletin, where she was hired in 1908 as a feature writer and theatre critic.[2] She interviewed celebrities, such as Jack London, and covered several high profile murder trials.[2] Later, when living in New York, Treadwell covered the murder trials of Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray whose stories influenced subsequent plays.[2][3] She traveled to France to cover the First World War, she was only female foreign correspondent writing from overseas at that time.[3] When Sophie returned to New York, she was hired by the New York American.[2] For the New York Herald Tribune in 1920, Sophie covered the end of the Mexican revolution.[2] In 1921, she was the only foreign journalist permitted to interview Pancho Villa.[2] In 1941, Sophie spent ten month in Mexico City as a correspondent for the Tribune. Later, Treadwell wrote for the Tribune about her visit to post-war Germany.[2][3]

Contemporaries and context

Although Treadwell was writing during the height of the Little Theatre Movement in the United States, her desire to produce her works on Broadway for mainstream audiences set her apart from her contemporaries. Treadwell was only peripherally involved in the movement through her work at the Provincetown Players during their early existence.[3]

Noteworthy women playwrights writing in the same era as Treadwell are:[3]

Through the use of various 'isms' these playwrights explored new and alternative ways of presenting women's lives in their plays.[3]

Resources and further reading

The majority of Treadwell's works are stored at the University of Arizona Library Special Collections and the rest at The Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the New York Public Library. The rights to Treadwell's works were passed on in her will to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson: A Corporation Sole.[2][3] One who wishes to obtain the rights to Treadwell's plays can address an enquiry to: Fiscal and Administrative Services, Diocese of Tucson, PO Box 31, Tucson, AZ 85702. Proceeds earned from the production or printing of Treadwell's works are used to benefit Native American children in Arizona. Further biographical information and critical analysis about Treadwell may be found in:

All of Treadwell's plays are published electronically in "North American Women's Drama" through the academic database publisher Alexander Street Press. Access to this resource is available by purchase directly through ASP's website, or through library access at many academic institutions that have purchased a license to the database.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Sophie Treadwell Collection. Special Collections, University of Arizona Library http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/treadwell. Retrieved 1 May 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 Dickey, Jerry; Lopez-Rodriguez, Miriam (2006). Broadway's Bravest Woman. Southern Illinois University. ISBN 0-8093-2675-2.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 Ozieblo, Barbara; Dickey, Jerry (2008). Susan Glaspell and Sophie Treadwell. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40485-1.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Sophie Treadwell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 "North American Women's Drama". Alexander Street Press.

See also