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On 1 September 1797, both the John Street Theatre and the New Theatre, Greenwich-Street advertised Sheridan's The School for Scandal. Although the company at the John Street Theatre subsequently postponed its performance, this confrontation was typical of what G.C.D. Odell referred to as the “Battle Royal of 1797,” New York City's first competitive theatre season. While most scholars of the American theatre are familiar with the history of the John Street Theatre, very little has been written about New York City's first “regular opposition theatre,” the Greenwich Street Theatre. Lack of information combined with scholarly bias has left us with only impressionistic images of this theatre's place in history.

John B. Ricketts introduced the first large scale multi-act circus to America. Shortly after his arrival from England in 1792, he opened a riding school in Philadelphia. An accomplished equestrian performer with experience from the London circuses of Charles Hughes and the Joneses, Ricketts began his own exhibitions during the spring of 1793 in Philadelphia. Between 1793 and 1800 he performed in every major easternAmerican city, erecting circusbuildings as he toured. Becausehe toured extensively, he is often regarded as the forerunner of the modern American touring circus. Beyond this, however, little has been written concerning the nature of the entertainments he presented. The aim of this study, then, is to examine in detail the development of his entertainments, how they were popular, and what effect their acceptance had on the established theatres of the day.