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Direct from New York analyzes a period of commercial theatre in the United States and Canada that witnessed an immense amount of activity on the road outside of New York City. Following dominant business practices of the day, the two main producing groups covered by this study, the Syndicate and the Shuberts, created vertically integrated operations headquartered in New York which covered the creation, marketing and touring of theatrical productions, known as combination companies or combinations. A combination company was a self-sufficient organization that for the most part mounted a single play. The company carried all necessary scenery, costumes and technical equipment to mount their production in any city that had a theatre space. Travelling almost exclusively by train, hundreds of productions toured each year from September to June. This study examines the two main organizations, the Shuberts and the Syndicate, as well as the structure of combination companies and the operation of theatres on the road.

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Dr. Vickery is an Assistant Professor of Theatre History at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada. He has published in the journals Theatre Survey, Theatre Research in Canada, Nineteenth Century and the International Journal of Arts Management.

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