About The Plays...
Repertoire theater companies provided
much of the entertainment for small town America in the early 20th
century. The James Adams Floating Theatre played six nights in one
town, Monday through Saturday, offering a different play each night.
Happy endings were guaranteed in every storyline, with good always
wining over evil. Vaudeville routines were performed between acts or
after the play. The Adams' plays were always conservative for the rural
audiences -- there was a strict moral code on the boat and the
sometimes racy tittles never matched their content.
Cast and Crew
While the actors themselves changed frequently over the years, The James Adams Floating Theatre always featured the same cast of characters. Primary comic roles went to a black face comedian an ingénue or soubrette who was a female character playing a young girt and the g-string or common sense smart man who often had a squeaky voice.
Troupes were professionals and the average salary in the early days was
about $10 per week. This meager salary was offset by a lot of free time
for swimming, fishing, boating and eating. Married couples were allowed
to share a room and bachelor men doubled up. No single women were
allowed to work aboard the James Adams Floating Theatre. James Adams'
sister.
Beulah Adams, was the star of the show for many years. She
started on the boat as a young girl, and stayed with the theatre until
the end of the 1936 season. Beulah married actor/musician Charles
Hunter (who played the g string part) and they were the mainstays of
the show during the 1920's. James' brother Selba, was business manager
of The James Adams floating theatre for 16 years.