George Pierce Baker

George Pierce Baker joined theatrical scholarship to practical stagecraft through his work as an American teacher of drama and playwriting. At Harvard he developed English 47, where students tested plays through rehearsal, before leading Yale’s drama program. The Pilgrim Spirit grew from a different kind of theatrical undertaking: a large historical pageant created for the tercentenary of the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth. Contemporary records identify Baker as both writer and director, while the published text places the production in 1921 and preserves its full commemorative subtitle. State and local organizations helped mount performances near Plymouth Rock, giving the piece a civic scale beyond a conventional indoor play. Baker’s teaching emphasized drama as an art that could be studied through making as well as reading. The pageant reflects his performance work.