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John Durang: Man of the American Stage takes the perspective of the theater as a crucible for the forging of American identity and culture. John Durang (1768–1822) is both an exemplary and a remarkable figure in early American theater. Among the first native-born Americans to appear on the stage, he was the first to make the theater his life. The son of French-German immigrants, he established an American theater dynasty that extends to the present day (playwright Christopher Durang). He is best remembered as a dancer, famed for his hornpipe and other dance specialties, but he was also an actor, puppeteer, singer, musician, pyrotechnician, scene painter, circus clown, acrobat, and manager of his own company. While his career focused on Philadelphia, he pioneered theater in inland towns, playing some roles in German. He toured with the first circus to perform in Canada, and played in cities throughout the northeastern United States. [editor summary]