Amateur Operatics: A Social and Cultural History (Studies in Popular Culture (Hardcover))

Since the late nineteenth century, amateur operatics groups have played a major role in extending musical theater from the commercial stage into the lives of local communities. In a potent mixture of operettas, Grand Opera and Broadway musicals, amateur operatics provided an important avenue for public self-expression and gender definition. This major new study examines this fascinating outlet for the expression of popular taste.