Theatre actresses and the transition to silent film

Our reconsideration of the relationship between the late nineteenth century theatre and early twentieth century film is a vital and ongoing task. Significantly, the return to a more inclusive, theatrically-informed early film history often demands the identification of–and access to–films that are often either overlooked, elided or lost in traditional film histories. This Overview essay returns us to a theatre/film nexus that considers the galvanizing contribution that the stage actress brought to entertainment industries and the screen industry in particular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.