Bernhardt, Sarah, 1906

The great French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) had been a sensation in America for three decades already, when she attempted to book a massive American tour in 1905-1906. Like Mrs. Fiske and others, she bucked the Trust, and was frozen out of its houses nationwide. Her management was forced to find alternative venues, including second-rank theatres, skating rinks, the Greek Theatre at the University of California at Berkeley, and most famously the circus tents of Texas and Chicago. Ironically, she took in far greater receipts than she would have in a conventional theatre.