SHAW, MARY

(1860-1929)

Born in Boston, Mary Shaw debuted with the Boston Museum stock company in 1878. As a firebrand feminist, Shaw became a proponent of the plays of modernist dramatists Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw. After appearing on Broadway inDavidBelasco's production ofBen-Hur(1899), Shaw's early stage experiences were insupportof several actresses who shared her feminist views or interest in Ibsen, includingHelena Modjeska, Minnie Maddern Fiske, andJulia Marlowe, and she toured the United States in Ibsen's controversialGhostsin 1903. Shaw appeared inHedda Gablerin Chicago in 1904 before starring in the first American production of Shaw'sMrs. Warren's Professionin New York in 1905, a production that landed Shaw and producerArnold Dalyin jail for indecency. Undaunted, she later appeared in 1918 and 1922 revivals of the play and usually acted in works focused on women's rights and other controversial social issues, includingVotes for Women(1909),Divorce(1909), andPolygamy(1914), andThe Dickey Bird(1915). Shaw founded the Gamut Club, was a charter member of the Professional Women's League, represented the United States at the International Congress of Women in London in 1899, and was a much sought-after lecturer.