In 1856, following years of agitation in the American playwriting community, previous failed attempts at legislative reform,1 and reform in Britain,2 an amendment to the United States Copyright Act provided authors or proprietors a public performance right in their original dramatic works.3 The 1856 revision was the first of several legislative movements in the second half of the nineteenth century aimed to validate the authorial ambitions of the American playwright, secure their economic interests, and encourage the expansion of American drama.