“Antoinette Perry, a Denver native, has become one of the most obscure celebrities of the century. In ‘Notable Names in the Theatre,’ she rates a line in the biographies of her daughters, Margaret and Elaine Perry, who followed in their mother’s now-faint footsteps as actresses, directors and producers. In recent years, the rare stories about Perry that have run in the Eastern press have been mistakenly illustrated with pictures of Margaret.”
[The Denver Post, June 2, 1991.]
Here is a snapshot of little Antoinette Perry, a baby of four, who walked fearlessly into my gold fish pool…. Her first public appearance was at the age of eleven in a small part on my stage. Today, with a brilliant career as an actress behind her, having played leading women with such great actors as David Warfield, Antoinette is a successful producer in New York City — having her own theatre. Quote from Mary Elitch
[Caroline Lawrence Dier, “The Lady of the Gardens”, 1932, Hollycrofters, Inc.]
Antoinette Perry was born in Denver, Colorado in 1888. While Mary Elitch herself recalled that Perry’s first appearance on a stage was a walk-on role at Historic Elitch Theatre in 1899 when she was just 11, her first credited role on stage was five years later in 1904 when she appeared in the play Olympe as the “Fifth Actress”.
[Borrillo, p. 61]
Just one year later, “Perry was acclaimed as the youngest starring actress in the country when she made her Chicago debut in ‘Mrs. Temple’s Telegram’ in 1905, when she was 17. She went on to captivate New York as the ingenue in ‘Lady Jim’ at Weber’s Theatre the same year.”
[The Denver Post, June 2, 1991.]
She later appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre during the 1908 season with David Warfield, Marie Bates, William Elliot and others in the preseason special productions of The Music Master and David Belasco’s The Grand Army Man. (See articles below.)
[Borrillo, p. 61]
Frank Frueauff, vice president and general manager of Denver Gas and Electric Co., “returned to several performances, bringing parties of friends to share his box. Before Perry left Denver, the two decided to marry.”
“She put aside her career to marry Frueauff on Nov. 30, 1909…. Perry and her husband had two daughters, Margaret, born in Denver in 1913, and Elaine, born in New York in 1921…. Frueauff was co-founder of the Cities Service Co. In time, he was directly involved with the management of more than 100 other power companies across the United States.”
“Frueauff’s death on July 31, 1922…left Perry a millionaire at the age of 35…it wasn’t long before she felt the irresistible tug of the theater. She made a triumphant return to stage as Zona Gale in ‘Mr. Pitt’ at the 39th Street Theatre on Jan. 22, 1924. Later roles included 134 performances in George S. Kaurman-Edna Ferber comedy ‘Minick.’”
[The Denver Post, June 2, 1991.]
“Perry was a pioneer….most of the theater was off limits to women in her day. In 1937, she simultaneously directed three major Broadway productions — ‘Now You’re Done It,’ ‘Chalked Out’ and ‘Red Harvest’… She directed 17 Broadway plays in 14 years, a resume seldom equaled in the theater.”
[The Denver Post, June 2, 1991.]
In 1947, the American Theater Wing established the Antoinette Perry Awards in her memory, and they have been presented annually for distinguished achievement in theater. The awards are commonly known as the “Tony” awards. The Tony award consists of a medallion depicting the masks of comedy and tragedy on one side and the profile of Antoinette Perry on the other side mounted on a black base.” [Borrillo, p. 61]
In 2004, Mary Antoinette Perry-Frueauff was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. Tony had been successful in breaking down barriers to get women into the world of directing. She encouraged young talent and was in charge of 7,000 auditions for young people. She believed in investing in young talent. She worked on using theater to boost morale during WWII and did her best to help with the cause. The Tony Awards are now televised annually in her honor. [Denver Public Library Website]
Seasons at the Theatre
Productions/Roles:
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- Perry directed the original production of Harvey on Broadway, which was written by Denver’s Mary Chase!
Wikipedia Link:
