The Tittell Sisters Quit the Stage
Exhausted by a grueling schedule of nightly performances and constant rehearsals, the lead actresses of Seattle's Cordray Theater announce their resignation.
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Miss Essie Tittell and Miss Minnie Tittell, who have been starring at Cordray's ever since the opening of the theater, have resigned from the company. Miss Essie Tittell stated, 'I have been working very hard here from the start, and I feel that we cannot longer endure the strain. You see, we have had the leading parts at every performance, every night in the week and at matinees, and at the same time we have been rehearsing new plays constantly.' The local manager for Cordray's indicated that arrangements for replacements are pending, with current players potentially being brought in from Portland to fill the void.
“I have been working very hard here from the start, and I feel that we cannot longer endure the strain.”
The Tittell sisters' departure highlights the intense, often grueling labor conditions of professional actors in 1891, a stark reminder that even the glamorous world of theater was governed by the same labor pressures as any other Seattle industry. Today, local arts organizations continue to grapple with the tension between high-octane production schedules and the sustainability of working artist lives.
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