Schaffner Players
Encyclopedia
The Schaffner Players was a traveling theatre group that performed in the Midwest Opera Houses, in traveling tent shows, and later on the radio for 72 years.
The Schaffner Players trace their beginning back to 1851. That was the year when "Yankee" Robinson, the first man in America to tour a dramatic show under a tent, moved to Davenport, Iowa
and nearby Rock Island, Illinois
. Finding no buildings large enough in which his cast could perform, he built a 1000 seat tent theatre with his own hands, hired a cast and transported his touring company by horse drawn wagons and riverboats to Quincy, Illinois
where they opened their season on May 29, 1851. Billed as "The Robinson Family" they toured Illinois
, Missouri
and Iowa
where they closed their first season in Davenport On September 9-10, 1851.
"Yankee" Robinson operated his traveling tent repertoire theatre until the 1880s when Charles Emerson bought it and operated it until 1910. J.S. Angell, widely known in the show world, next acquired the show and named it Angell's Comedians. Neil Schaffner started working for Angell in 1922 and later acquired a half partnership. In 1925 Schaffner acquired full ownership and the show remained in his hands until he retired after a heart attack in 1962. Jimmy Davis who had worked for Schaffner as leading man, since the mid-1950s, purchased the tent theatre company and the Schaffner Players name. For over three decades Davis continued to operate the touring company as the Schaffner Players, starring Toby and Susie.
In 1851 only "Yankee" Robinson's company toured in their tented theatre. By 1927, The New York Times estimated that 400 tent theatre companies had visited 18,000 communities and played to 76,800,000 customers while 500 legitimate theatres across the U.S. had played to only 48,000,000 customers. That same year, Billboard Magazine proclaimed the dawn of "The Tent Show Era". Jimmy Davis proclaimed the same theory used by the late Neil Schaffner. "Give the theatre audience what it wants to see and the audience will never stop supporting the theatre".
Jimmy and Grace Davis continued The Schaffner Players starring "Toby and Susie" (Toby Tolliver
) in communities, State Fairs and Special Events across the nation until February 20, 1998 when Jimmy, co-owner and co-star of the Toby and Susie Schaffner Show died, dropping the final curtain for the only original repertoire tent theatre still on the circuit.
At one time, the Schaffners' acting company, also known as the Toby and Susie Tent Show, was billed as "the world's oldest amusement enterprise in continuous operation."²
Their memorabilia can be found in the Theatre Museum at the Old Thresher's Reunion
in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
The Schaffner Players trace their beginning back to 1851. That was the year when "Yankee" Robinson, the first man in America to tour a dramatic show under a tent, moved to Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
and nearby Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
. Finding no buildings large enough in which his cast could perform, he built a 1000 seat tent theatre with his own hands, hired a cast and transported his touring company by horse drawn wagons and riverboats to Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
where they opened their season on May 29, 1851. Billed as "The Robinson Family" they toured Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
where they closed their first season in Davenport On September 9-10, 1851.
"Yankee" Robinson operated his traveling tent repertoire theatre until the 1880s when Charles Emerson bought it and operated it until 1910. J.S. Angell, widely known in the show world, next acquired the show and named it Angell's Comedians. Neil Schaffner started working for Angell in 1922 and later acquired a half partnership. In 1925 Schaffner acquired full ownership and the show remained in his hands until he retired after a heart attack in 1962. Jimmy Davis who had worked for Schaffner as leading man, since the mid-1950s, purchased the tent theatre company and the Schaffner Players name. For over three decades Davis continued to operate the touring company as the Schaffner Players, starring Toby and Susie.
In 1851 only "Yankee" Robinson's company toured in their tented theatre. By 1927, The New York Times estimated that 400 tent theatre companies had visited 18,000 communities and played to 76,800,000 customers while 500 legitimate theatres across the U.S. had played to only 48,000,000 customers. That same year, Billboard Magazine proclaimed the dawn of "The Tent Show Era". Jimmy Davis proclaimed the same theory used by the late Neil Schaffner. "Give the theatre audience what it wants to see and the audience will never stop supporting the theatre".
Jimmy and Grace Davis continued The Schaffner Players starring "Toby and Susie" (Toby Tolliver
Toby Tolliver
Toby Tolliver was a character in the "Toby and Susie Show," a long-running show in early 20th-century American traveling theatre.He was largely a Midwest product. His prototype is found everywhere in America, but is most closely identified with the tall corn and cotton country...
) in communities, State Fairs and Special Events across the nation until February 20, 1998 when Jimmy, co-owner and co-star of the Toby and Susie Schaffner Show died, dropping the final curtain for the only original repertoire tent theatre still on the circuit.
At one time, the Schaffners' acting company, also known as the Toby and Susie Tent Show, was billed as "the world's oldest amusement enterprise in continuous operation."²
Their memorabilia can be found in the Theatre Museum at the Old Thresher's Reunion
Old Thresher's Reunion
The Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion was started in 1950 and has taken place every Labor Day weekend since in the small town of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa...
in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
External links
- Repertoire Theatre Americana
- DesMoinesRegister.com; Famous Iowans; Neil and Caroline Schaffner
- The Schaffner Players by Iowa historian Dr. Michael Kramme