New Orleans and New Orleanians have long loved performance. Home of the first European opera performances in the Americas, New Orleans, in the 19th century, boasted theatres for all and sundry, from highbrow classical works to concert saloons where entertainment was inexpensive but no less engaging for it. No matter your race or class, New Orleans offered entertainment for you. In this talk, we’ll explore the history of theatre and performance in old New Orleans, primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in particular examine the ways race and class rules were alternately subverted and reinforced in the performance venues of the city. About the speaker: Victor Holtcamp earned dual degrees in history and drama at the University of Washington, a Master’s Degree from Brown University, and completed his PhD at the UW in 2003. He has presented at national and international conferences, and published articles on topics ranging from the apocryphal Shakespearean play Mucedorus to the musical A Chorus Line. His book Interchangeable Parts: Acting, Industry, and Technology in US Theater was published in July of 2019 by the University of Michigan Press. He is currently an Associate Professor at Tulane University in New Orleans.