Somewhat less famous, but just as mobile, was the German-American, tragedian, Daniel Bandman. He was a classic actor-manager. Bandman's career is both characteristic and unusual for actor-mangers, in a globalizing theater world. He was the central figure, often performing with one of his succession of wives. And a small troupe of younger performers whose role it was to support him. This is characteristic of actor-managers. But he's unusual because he changed languages. He began as an actor in Germany, but visited New York as a young man where he quickly switched to English. And made a reputation for himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor. A formidability, not just due to his acting skills, but because he had a propensity to physically assault unkind critics. The list of bruised reviewers stretched from New York to Australia. From New Zealand to Hong Kong. Like Sarah Bernhard, he too was continually in the press, but in his case because of numerous prosecutions for assault and libel. There were hundreds if not thousands of actor-managers of Bandmann's ilk. What makes him interesting for us is his mobility. He toured the world twice. First between 1869 and 1872. When he traveled from the west coast to the US to Australia, where he spent over a year touring the colony, before returning to the US via Hawaii. His second world tour, lasted three and a half years between 1879 and 1883. It included Australia, New Zealand, India, parts of Southeast Asia, and China. He recorded the second trip in considerable self congratulatory detail. In a book entitled: "An Actor's Tour or Seventy Thousand Miles with Shakespeare". The preface, written by an admirer, highlights the effects of technological innovation on travel and theatre. Science has wrought marvels, steam and electricity have revolutionized conceptions and thoughts in relation to the world, encircling it with a network of appliances. That makes communication and travel between the most distant places possible. So that with a not very considerable amount of money and a few months of leisure, the most ordinary mortal may become a rival of Captain Cook. The discourse of modernization is speaking here. Steam and electricity form a network of appliances. That make communication and travel faster and cheaper. Bandmann's 's three and half year 70,000 mile tour with Shakespeare was remarkable for the sheer length of time he was away and the number of places he played in. Some of them extremely remote. He even visited Darwin and Townsville. Now with all due respect to any Australian participants. In the 1880's, they were not exactly major theater cities. Daniel Bandmann traveled the world or at least many parts of it. Not just to spread the word of Shakespeare, but to make money. He employed about a dozen actors and actresses,for the other roles, paid them little, and kept the bulk of the profits for himself. His book is full of information on the profits he made in various cities. From the two month Calcutta season alone, he claims to have made 4,000 pounds clear profit. In today's currency, about 190,000 pounds. Interestingly, his Shakespearean performances, the mainstay of his repertoire drew almost entirely Indian audiences in Calcutta and Bombay. For the English it was too high-brow. They much preferred burlesque and light comedy.
