Thomas Wignell

Wignell, Thomas (1753–1803), actor and manager. The English‐born performer was brought to America in 1774 by his cousin, the younger Lewis Hallam. However, the outbreak of the Revolution forced him to sail almost immediately for Jamaica, and he did not begin to earn a name for himself until his return in 1785. Wignell soon became a favorite with the Old American Company at the John Street Theatre in such roles as Joseph Surface, Prospero, and Laertes. William Dunlap described him as “a man below ordinary height, with a slight stoop of the shoulders . . . his comedy was luxuriant in humour, but always faithful to his author. He was a comic actor, not a buffoon.” However, much of his importance rests with his work behind the scenes. He is said to have been the man who encouraged Royall Tyler to write The Contrast (and was its first Jonathan). In 1793 Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theatre was built for a company he recruited, and with Alexander Reinagle he ran the theatre until his death. Under his aegis it was the leading playhouse in the city and its ensemble often considered the finest in the country.