Augustus Thomas

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American playwright

title: "Augustus Thomas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1857-births", "1934-deaths", "american-dramatists-and-playwrights", "american-newspaper-editors", "writers-from-st.-louis", "writers-from-new-rochelle,-new-york", "members-of-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-letters", "american-male-screenwriters", "film-producers-from-missouri", "film-directors-from-missouri", "burials-at-bellefontaine-cemetery", "american-male-dramatists-and-playwrights", "journalists-from-new-york-(state)", "film-directors-from-new-york-(state)", "american-male-non-fiction-writers", "screenwriters-from-new-york-(state)", "screenwriters-from-missouri", "film-producers-from-new-york-(state)", "the-lambs-presidents", "20th-century-american-male-writers", "20th-century-american-screenwriters"] description: "American playwright" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Thomas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American playwright ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameAugustus Thomas
birth_dateJanuary 8, 1857
birth_placeSt. Louis, Missouri, US
death_date
death_placeNyack, New York, US
imageAugustus Thomas.png
othernameGus
occupationPlaywright
yearsactive1889–1926
::

| name = Augustus Thomas | birth_date = January 8, 1857 | birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, US | death_date = | death_place = Nyack, New York, US | image = Augustus Thomas.png | othername = Gus | occupation = Playwright | yearsactive = 1889–1926 Augustus Thomas (January 8, 1857 – August 12, 1934) was an American playwright.

Biography

Born in St. Louis, Missouri and son of a medical doctor, Thomas worked a number of jobs including as a page in the 41st Congress, studying law, and gaining some practical railway work experience before he turned to journalism and became editor of the Kansas City Mirror in 1889. Thomas had been writing since his teens when he wrote plays and even organized a small theatrical touring company.

Thomas was hired to work as an assistant at Pope's Theatre in St. Louis. During this time, he wrote a one-act play called Editha's Burglar, based on a short story by Frances Hodgson Burnett called The Burglar. After touring in the play, he expanded the show to four acts, renamed it The Burglar, and was able to get Maurice Barrymore to play the title role. Subsequently, he was hired to succeed Dion Boucicault adapting foreign plays for the Madison Square Theatre.

His first successful play, Alabama, was produced by Kirke La Shelle in 1891 and its financial reward allowed Thomas to write full-time. Alabama is the story of an un-reconstructed Confederate. Notably, Thomas was one of the first playwrights to make use of American material. Other plays along the same lines include In Mizzoura (1893), Arizona (1900), Colorado (1900) and Rio Grande (1916). Perhaps his most successful play was The Copperhead (1918) which made Lionel Barrymore a star.

Thomas joined The Lambs theatrical club in 1889 and served as its president from 1907 to 1910. In 1913, he was the first recipient of the Gold Medal for Drama from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

He died in 1934 and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Select works

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Arizona_-_1907_poster.jpg" caption="Arizona]]''"] ::

  • Editha's Burglar, 1884
  • The Burglar, 1889
  • A Man of the World, 1889
  • Reckless Temple, 1890
  • A Woman of the World, 1890
  • Alabama, 1891
  • Colonel Carter of Cartersville, 1892
  • In Mizzoura, 1893
  • New Blood, 1894
  • Arizona, 1900
  • Oliver Goldsmith, 1900
  • Colorado, 1900
  • Soldiers of Fortune, 1902 (from 1897 Richard Harding Davis novel)
  • The Earl of Pawtucket, 1903
  • The Other Girl, 1903
  • Mrs. Leffingwell's Boots, 1905
  • The Embassy Ball, 1906
  • The Witching Hour, 1907
  • The Harvest Moon, 1909
  • The Member from Ozark, 1910
  • As a Man Thinks, 1911
  • The Copperhead, 1918
  • Nemesis, 1921
  • The Print of My Remembrance (autobiography), 1922
  • Still Waters, 1926

Select filmography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/The_Jungle_FilmPoster.jpeg" caption="George Irving]] and John H. Pratt"] ::

References

  • Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 4th edition. London:Oxford UP, 1983. pps. 827–828.
  • Moody, Richard. "Augustus Thomas". in Banham, Martin, ed. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre, London:Cambridge UP, 1992.

References

  1. (November 8, 1906). "News of the Theatres". Chicago Tribune.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1857-births1934-deathsamerican-dramatists-and-playwrightsamerican-newspaper-editorswriters-from-st.-louiswriters-from-new-rochelle,-new-yorkmembers-of-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-lettersamerican-male-screenwritersfilm-producers-from-missourifilm-directors-from-missouriburials-at-bellefontaine-cemeteryamerican-male-dramatists-and-playwrightsjournalists-from-new-york-(state)film-directors-from-new-york-(state)american-male-non-fiction-writersscreenwriters-from-new-york-(state)screenwriters-from-missourifilm-producers-from-new-york-(state)the-lambs-presidents20th-century-american-male-writers20th-century-american-screenwriters