David Mayer (historian)
American-British theatre historian (1928–2023)
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David Mayer (November 23, 1928 – August 24, 2023) was an American-British theatre historian. He was emeritus Professor of Drama and Honorary Research Professor at the University of Manchester. Mayer was accidentally placed on a U.S. terrorism blacklist due to a case of mistaken identity.
David Mayer | |
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| Born | November 23, 1928 Chicago, Illinois U.S. |
| Died | September 2023 (aged 94) |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Known for | Writing about theatre history, being mistaken for a Chechen terrorist |
| Children | |
| Website | www |
Mayer was a U.S. Army veteran and the father of the UK's Women's Equality Party founder Catherine Mayer,[1] and writer and activist Lise Mayer, who co-created the sitcom The Young Ones.[2]
In 2016, Mayer discovered that he had been placed on a U.S. security list because a Chechen militant called Akhmed Chatayev, who was wanted by US authorities, had used the alias 'David Mayer'.[1] The case of mistaken identity meant Mayer could not travel to the US or receive mail from the US.[3][4][5][6]
As of November 2020, Mayer was still encountering bureaucratic problems as a result of his name being on a watchlist.[7] One result of this appeared in December 2024 even after his death.[8]
As a theatre historian,[9] his work centres on the "drama of the long 19th century and with the late-Victorian stage’s many links with early [silent] film."[10][11] In 2012, he received the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) Distinguished Scholar Award.[12] In 2017, Mayer supported a campaign to save Harker's Studio, one of the last theatre scenery workshops in the UK.[13]
His publications include Stagestruck Filmmaker, about the film director D.W. Griffith and Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836.[14][15]
Mayer died in August 2023, at the age of 94.[16]