Ira Aldridge was born in New York city on 24 July 1807. Ira’s father was Reverend Daniel Aldridge. Ira attended New York’s African Free School, which the New York Manumission* Society established in 1787 to provide an education for the children of formerly enslaved people.

At the age of about 17-18 Ira set out for England to become an actor. He worked as a steward aboard a ship to earn his passage to Liverpool. Ira first appeared on the London stage in 1825 at the Royal Coburg Theatre (now the Old Vic). For a number of years, he tried to establish his career in the capital, but suffered a stream of racist abuse from theatre critics. This abuse reached its height in 1833, at a time when the debates about the abolition of slavery were also reaching fever pitch.

However, Ira was not to be deterred and set about touring the rest of the country, where he was very well received. Most of the rest of his life was spent touring Britain and Europe and he died on tour in Poland in 1867.

*manumission – official release from enslavement

We know that Ira Aldridge performed in Berwick in 1840, 1843 and 1849 and in Alnwick in 1843. He was incredibly popular – his performances sold out and extra dates had to be added. The Berwick Advertiser wrote articles about his performances, which have been attached here.

His most famous role was Shakespeare’s Othello – he is dressed for that role in the picture. The Berwick Advertiser said of his performance “he was perfectly master of his author’s text and meaning.” In another of their theatre columns, they described him as “the best actor of colour who ever appeared on the British stage.”

The Advertiser was keen to stress that Aldridge was not just a tragedian (an actor of tragic roles), but also a comic performer. The article of 1840 describes how Aldridge performed a song which included the names of local people, much to the amusement of the “gods” (the people high up, right at the back of the theatre in the cheapest seats).

In Aldridge’s publicity (including the Berwick Advertiser articles) he is often referred to as The African Roscius. Roscius was a famous Roman actor (alive around 126 BC – 62 BC) and often used as a representation of the best dramatic actor ever.

Roscius was born into slavery and used earnings from acting to buy his freedom. Ira Aldridge’s parents were not enslaved people, but he would have been aware of enslaved African-Americans. New York state abolished slavery in in 1817, but enslaved men and women were not freed in the state until 10 years later. Slavery was finally abolished across the United States in 1865.

According to one account, Ira Aldridge narrowly escaped being sold into slavery on his voyage to England. (See wikitree link below).

Othello “The Moor of Venice” was to become Ira Aldridge’s most famous part, but his first role on the stage was in a different play. He first appeared in “Oroonoko or The Royal Slave” an adaptation of the Aphra Behn novel by Thomas Southern. It is often credited as being the first abolitionist novel/play.

Our collections include nineteenth-century play bills for Othello (Alnwick), Oroonoko (Rothbury) and “Revenge or the Captive Moor” (Alnwick). Ira also played the title character, Zanga, in the Captive Moor at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1851.

Although Northumbrian audiences were used to seeing characters of African descent on the stage by the nineteenth-century, these characters were usually played by white actors, wearing Black make-up or “Black face”. Ira Aldridge played a number of white characters, including Richard III and Shylock while wearing white make-up.

Berwick Advertiser

29 August 1840

The African Roscius – The best proof that can be given of the meritorious and attractive nature of Mr Aldridge’s performances is, that he has drawn better audiences than could well have been expected in Berwick at this season, and has thereby been encouraged to prolong his stay for some nights longer than originally announced. Both in comic and tragic acting (but especially in the latter) he exhibited powers of a very high character, and certainly as a tragedian he has not been equalled by any performer who has appeared on the Berwick boards for many years. His bill of fare has also presented a judicious intermixture of grave and gay – not the least taking portion of the entertainment – at least with the gods – being a “new version of Jim Crow,” in which the names of a number of individuals in the town were made to figure, though certainly without their consent, yet in a way not at all calculated to give offence. A very attractive part of the entertainment remains to be mentioned in the performances on the violin by Mr Stevens, who exhibited great mastery over his instrument, and (especially for an excellent imitation of the Highland bagpipe, and other instruments) received the marked applause of the audience. Mr Aldridge repeats some of his most attractive performances tonight.

14 January 1843

The Theatre – An advertisement in our first page announces the opening of the theatre here for four nights next week, when Mr Aldridge, the African Roscius, is to appear in a series of characters, supported by a company of Comedians which, for some time, has been performing in Alnwick theatre. Mr Aldridge has on two previous occasions, appeared in Berwick, and, we have only to refer to these appearances to revive the recollection of the gratification and amusement he afforded. The diversity of characters he sustains, and the ability he displays in each, is truly astonishing. While tragedy is his favourite walk, his audiences here have been much divided in opinion as to whether he appears to most advantage in it, or in broad farce. The rich treat furnished on his last visit, by his performance in “The Virginian Mummy”, must be fresh in the recollection of many of our readers. As Mr Aldridge is about to return to his native country, we hope the public will avail themselves of this, the last, opportunity of witnessing the best actor of colour who ever appeared on the British stage.

10 March 1849

The Theatre – The African Roscius

As we anticipated in our last, Mr Aldridge made his first appearance in our Theatre on Monday. The fame of the actor had evidently gone before him, for as soon as the doors were opened the pit and gallery were filled to overflowing, and several persons could not gain admittance. As the performances proceeded the boxes also became filled. The opening piece was Othello. The part of the Moor has been played by Mr Aldridge throughout the last twenty-five years, and no one could witness his representation on Monday without being satisfied that he was perfectly mater of his author’s text and meaning, and that his performance was the result of much careful study. In no other character, however, has Mr Aldridge such a host of competitors for the palm as in that of Othello, and as in none of these have we ever discovered a perfect picture, we cannot pay Mr Aldridge a higher compliment than to say that he maintains a fair competition with them. While in some points we prefer Mr Aldridge, in others again, and these not less important, we give the preference to other tragedians. As a whole the performance will bear criticism, and afford much pleasure. Mr A was very respectably supported by the members of the regular company. Mr Somerville was very good as Iago; Mrs S played Desdemona very gracefully, which is all that is required of the performer. Mr Kirk scarcely set the character of Cassie; and Mr Marshall certainly overacted the buffoonery of Roderigo; but altogether the play was well gone through. The farce of The Padlock succeeded, and here we set no limit to our praise of Mr Aldridge’s performance of Mungo. While we cannot conceive it possible that it could be excelled, we had no idea that a character apparently so trifling could be made the medium of such amusement. It was a piece of genuine comic acting. Mr Aldridge’s benefit takes place tonight; the pieces to be performed are excellent selections, and we recommend our readers to avail themselves of this last opportunity of witnessing Ginger Blue.