The God of Drama in the Nineteenth Century

After transmigrating to Manhattan, New York, at the end of the nineteenth century, Arlette found herself facing Broadway.

The future theater capital was just beginning to rise, while ragtime jazz was flourishing.

Burlesque, vaudeville, and musical comedy dazzled, while concert halls, opera houses, and circuses burst with color.

The rich strode proudly down the Great White Way, while just a few streets away in Hell's Kitchen, laborers and immigrants struggled to survive.

The slum basement was dark and rundown.

Her parents had died suddenly, leaving her with a mountain of debt.

She danced twelve hours a day in a tavern, yet couldn't even afford a pair of shoes.

The kind landlady advised her to pack up and run while she still could, head west, and find a man to marry in the countryside.

Former Grammy winner, industry legend, all-around talent in composing, songwriting, screenwriting, and acting, Arlette asked, "Why run?"

*

Broadway in the nineteenth century was a glittering world of luxury, teeming with extraordinary talents.

Yet not a single woman had ever left such a bold mark on history.

From pioneering a new singing style and astounding the industry,

to buying a theater and founding a magazine,

to establishing theater awards and opening an arts school...

Arlette was a legend beyond all doubt.

Her works inspired the next generation of playwrights.

Her theater was always packed.

Her name would always have a place in textbooks and history books.

People called her:

The God of Theater.

*A gifted musician from humble beginnings x a blind aristocrat

Theme: Independence and self-reliance