THE AUTHOR
Reading edition
Percy MacKaye, the author of this play, was born in New York City, March 16, 1875—a son of Steele MacKaye. He graduated from Harvard with the class of 1897 and shortly afterward spent two years in Italy and at the University of Leipzig. In 1904 he joined the Cornish (New Hampshire) Colony and has since devoted himself to literary and dramatic work. He is a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
Following is a list of his published works:
The Canterbury Pilgrims: A Comedy.
The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer.
Fenris, the Wolf: A Tragedy.
Jeanne D’Arc: A Tragedy.
Sappho and Phaon: A Tragedy.
The Scarecrow: A Tragedy of the Ludicrous.
Lincoln Centenary Ode.
Mater: An American Study in Comedy.
The Playhouse and the Play. Essays.
A Garland to Sylvia: A Comedy.
Anti-Matrimony: A Satirical Comedy.
Yankee Fantasies. Five One-Act Plays.
To-Morrow. A Play in Three Acts.
Poems.
Uriel, and Other Poems.
The Civic Theatre.
Sanctuary: A Bird Masque.
A Thousand Years Ago.
viiOriginal Cast of the Play as first produced in Boston, at the Shubert Theatre, December 1, 1913
WILLIAM A. BRADY (Ltd.)
PRESENTS
A THOUSAND YEARS AGO
A Romance of the Orient
BY
PERCY MACKAYE
“Here in China, the world lies a-dream, like a thousand
Years ago, and the place of our dreams is eternal.”
(The play is an original comedy, suggested by the Persian romance in “The Thousand and One Tales,” wherein is recited the adventures of Calaf, Prince of Astrakhan, and the beautiful Princess of China.)
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Asiatic
TURANDOT, Princess of Pekin Rita Jolivet
ALTOUM, her father, Emperor Frederick Warde
ZELIMA, her slave Fania Marinoff
CALAF, Prince of Astrakhan Jerome Patrick
BARAK, his servitor Frank McCormack
CHANG, Eunuch Edmund Roth
European
SCARAMOUCHE PUNCHINELLO PANTALOON HARLEQUIN Vagabond Players from Italy Sheldon Lewis Bennett Kilpack Allen Thomas Joseph Smith
CAPOCOMICO, their leader H. Cooper Cliffe
Lords of the Royal Divan
Hugh Nixon, John P. Savage, Anthony Romack, Reginald Simpson
Beggars
William H. Dupont and W. Bradley Ward
viiiSoldiers of Pekin
David Earle, Charles Muche, Thomas Edwards, Joseph Reed, Howard Jackson, Carl Textoris, Joseph Weston, James Bannister
Tea Bearers
Franklin Montgomery and John Leons
Court Attendants
Philip Sheridan and Robert W. Gest
Female Attendants
Marie Benton, Daisy Miller, Ruth Pierson, Constance Howard, Elsie Oates and Sybil Maitland
SCENES
Act I
City Gate at Pekin
Act II
Scene 1: Room in the Imperial Harem
Scene 2: Great Hall of the Emperor
Act III
Scene 1: Turandot’s Dream
(1) The Mountains
(2) A Street
Scene 2: Anteroom of the Harem
Scene 3: Calaf’s Bedchamber
Act IV
Great Hall of the Emperor. (The same as Act II, Scene 2)
Play produced under the direction of Mr. J. C. Huffman
Interpretative music composed by William Furst
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Tarkington Baker Manager
Frederick Schader Business Manager
Frank McCormack Stage Director
William W. Brown W. Bradley Ward Stage Managers
William Furst Musical Director
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