Ada Rehan
Encyclopedia
Ada Rehan was an American
actress.
Her acting career began early with some minor parts as a child, then her activities increased in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
at Mrs. Drew's theatre from 1873 to 1875.
Subsequently, she appeared in Baltimore, Albany
, and other cities with John W. Albaugh
's company. When Augustin Daly
opened his New York theatre in 1879, she joined his company, and continued to work with Daly until his death twenty years later. Ada Rehan was widely admired in Europe, having acted in Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Stratford-on-Avon.
Miss Rehan was the model for a solid silver statue of Justice that was presented as part of the State of Montana
's mining
exhibition at the World's Columbian Exposition
in Chicago
in 1893.
She retired from the stage in 1906 and made New York City
her home until her death there in 1916.
She also played the principal female characters in:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
Biography
She was born as Ada Crehan in County Limerick, Ireland, and brought to the United States at about the age of six years.Her acting career began early with some minor parts as a child, then her activities increased in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
at Mrs. Drew's theatre from 1873 to 1875.
Subsequently, she appeared in Baltimore, Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, and other cities with John W. Albaugh
John W. Albaugh
John W. Albaugh was an American actor and manager, born in Baltimore. It was there that he made his first real appearance on the stage as the title character in a play called Brutus, or the Fall of Tarquin , on a stage managed by Joseph Jefferson...
's company. When Augustin Daly
Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va...
opened his New York theatre in 1879, she joined his company, and continued to work with Daly until his death twenty years later. Ada Rehan was widely admired in Europe, having acted in Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Stratford-on-Avon.
Miss Rehan was the model for a solid silver statue of Justice that was presented as part of the State of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
's mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
exhibition at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893.
She retired from the stage in 1906 and made New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
her home until her death there in 1916.
Roles
- Rosalind in As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
- Katherine in The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
- Viola in Twelfth NightTwelfth Night, or What You WillTwelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
- Lady Teazle in The School for ScandalThe School for ScandalThe School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
- Valentine Osprey in The Railroad of Love
- Peggy in The Country GirlThe Country WifeThe Country Wife is a Restoration comedy written in 1675 by William Wycherley. A product of the tolerant early Restoration period, the play reflects an aristocratic and anti-Puritan ideology, and was controversial for its sexual explicitness even in its own time. The title itself contains a lewd pun...
- Kate Verity in The Squire
- Nancy Brasher in Nancy and Company
- Maid Marian in TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
's Foresters - Roxanne in Daly's presentation of Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de Bergerac (play)Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
She also played the principal female characters in:
- Cinderella at School
- Needles and Pins
- A Wooden Spoon
- After Business Hours
- Our English Friend
Publications
- William WinterWilliam Winter (author)William Winter was an American dramatic critic and author.-Biography:Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Winter graduated from Harvard Law School in 1857...
, Ada Rehan: A Study (limited edition, New York, 1891) - William Winter, Shadows of the Stage (New York, 1892)
- L. C. Strang, Famous Actresses of the Day in America (Boston, 1899)
- Norman HapgoodNorman HapgoodNorman Hapgood was an American writer, journalist, editor, and critic, born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Harvard in 1890 and from the law school there in 1893, then chose to become a writer...
, The Stage in America, 1897-1900 (New York, 1901) - William Winter, The Wallet of TimeThe Wallet of TimeProduced in 1913, The Wallet of Time is a publication by William Winter, in two volumes. Its title is taken from the words of William Shakespeare: "Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,..." American stage actors and actresses, most of whom had been born in...
, volume ii (New York, 1913)