Beyond the stageSourced
A rivalry between actors became a deadly theatre riot
In May 1849, rivalry involving American actor Edwin Forrest and British actor William Charles Macready helped ignite a riot in New York. Class tensions and anti-British feeling also fuelled it. Crowds fought police around the theatre, and troops opened fire, killing many people.
The theatrical rivalry became entangled with the city’s divisions.
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Astor Place Riot · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-10