Episode 65: Playing Around with Nineteenth-Century Theatre in Dr. Robert Davis's Broadway 1849

Dr. Robert Davis has been studying the world of nineteenth-century theatre in New York City for much of his career, but he's recently engaged with that world in a new and unconventional way. Robert is the author of Broadway: 1849, an online game and app that takes the form of a multiple-choice novel. Players can explore what it was like to manage a theatre in the 1840s and navigate the outsized personalities and harrowing events that marked the theatrical world of the period. Robert joined us to talk about how his game reflects New York's social, political, and artistic history, as well as the ways in which turning this subject matter into a game provide a new perspective on historical events.