25:
131:. Neil Schaffner started working for Angell in 1922 and later acquired a half partnership. In 1925 Schaffner acquired full ownership and the show remained in his hands until he retired after a heart attack in 1962. Jimmy Davis who had worked for Schaffner as leading man, since the mid-1950s, purchased the tent theatre company and the Schaffner Players name. For over three decades Davis continued to operate the touring company as the Schaffner Players, starring Toby and Susie.
143:
proclaimed the dawn of "The Tent Show Era". Jimmy Davis proclaimed the same theory used by the late Neil
Schaffner. "Give the theatre audience what it wants to see and the audience will never stop supporting the theatre".
127:"Yankee" Robinson operated his traveling tent repertoire theatre until the 1880s when Charles Emerson bought it and operated it until 1910. J.S. Angell, widely known in the show world, next acquired the show and named it
108:. Finding no buildings large enough in which his cast could perform, he built a 1000 seat tent theatre with his own hands, hired a cast and transported his touring company by horse drawn wagons and riverboats to
138:
estimated that 400 tent theatre companies had visited 18,000 communities and played to 76,800,000 customers while 500 legitimate theatres across the U.S. had played to only 48,000,000 customers. That same year,
100:
The
Schaffner Players trace their beginning back to 1851. That was the year when "Yankee" Robinson, the first man in America to tour a dramatic show under a tent, moved to
54:
168:
193:
198:
76:
165:
37:
47:
41:
33:
160:
58:
105:
140:
112:
where they opened their season on May 29, 1851. Billed as "The
Robinson Family" they toured
109:
101:
135:
93:
was a traveling theatre group that performed in the
Midwest Opera Houses, in traveling
134:
In 1851 only "Yankee" Robinson's company toured in their tented theatre. By 1927, The
187:
172:
148:
94:
124:
where they closed their first season in
Davenport On September 9–10, 1851.
117:
113:
166:
DesMoinesRegister.com; Famous Iowans; Neil and
Caroline Schaffner
121:
18:
151:), continued to exist until the death of Davis in 1998.
147:The Schaffner Players, starring "Toby and Susie" (
46:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
8:
77:Learn how and when to remove this message
97:, and later on the radio for 72 years.
7:
180:by Iowa historian Dr. Michael Kramme
14:
23:
1:
194:Theatre companies in Illinois
16:Rural entertainment tent show
161:Repertoire Theatre Americana
215:
199:Theatre companies in Iowa
32:This article includes a
61:more precise citations.
178:The Schaffner Players
106:Rock Island, Illinois
141:Billboard Magazine
129:Angell's Comedians
34:list of references
91:Schaffner Players
87:
86:
79:
206:
110:Quincy, Illinois
82:
75:
71:
68:
62:
57:this article by
48:inline citations
27:
26:
19:
214:
213:
209:
208:
207:
205:
204:
203:
184:
183:
157:
102:Davenport, Iowa
83:
72:
66:
63:
52:
38:related reading
28:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
212:
210:
202:
201:
196:
186:
185:
182:
181:
175:
171:2013-01-21 at
163:
156:
155:External links
153:
136:New York Times
85:
84:
42:external links
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
211:
200:
197:
195:
192:
191:
189:
179:
176:
174:
173:archive.today
170:
167:
164:
162:
159:
158:
154:
152:
150:
149:Toby Tolliver
145:
142:
137:
132:
130:
125:
123:
119:
115:
111:
107:
103:
98:
96:
92:
81:
78:
70:
60:
56:
50:
49:
43:
39:
35:
30:
21:
20:
177:
146:
133:
128:
126:
99:
90:
88:
73:
67:October 2021
64:
53:Please help
45:
104:and nearby
59:introducing
188:Categories
95:tent shows
169:Archived
118:Missouri
114:Illinois
55:improve
40:, or
122:Iowa
120:and
89:The
190::
116:,
44:,
36:,
80:)
74:(
69:)
65:(
51:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.