CROTHERS, RACHEL

(1878-1958)

   Born in Bloomington, Illinois, she grew up to be the most renowned American woman playwright before Lillian Hellman.* Between 1903 and 1937, she had 28 plays produced on Broadway. Her early experience of acting (including a tour with Hortense Rhéa's company in The Christian) contributed to her understanding of stagecraft. Most of her comedy-dramas depict the difficulties faced by women, particularly those trying to earn their way as artists. Noteworthy are The Three of Us (1906), A Man's World (1909), He and She (1911), Nice People (1921), Mary the Third (1923), Expressing Willie (1924), Let Us Be Gay (1929), and Susan and God* (1937). She often lectured on drama.