Actors from Boston & Philadelphia in Montreal in 1808

[BOURASSA ANDRE G]

The note on Sulerzhitsky was completed, thanks to Catherine Graham and
Helene Meloche Redding (and their friends, specialists of the Doukhobor
question).  He is another problem.
 
For a note on "New Theatre" (Saint-Sacrement st.) and "Montreal Theatre"
(du College st., west part of Saint-Paul), the _Canadian Encyclopedia_
would like more information. Would any specialist, for example those
having worked on Boston and Philadelphia theatre history, know more?
 
1. In the name of actor and director Noble Luke Usher and decorator Noble
Allport, is "Noble" a first name or a title?
 
2. William Henry Prigmore, who founded "New Theatre" in Montreal in 1807,
disappeared at the end of Decembre 1808 with part of his troupe on his
way from Quebec to Montreal (probably while crossing one of those ice
bridges John Durang spoke about) and was remplaced in January by John
Duplessis Turnbull; do we know where the name "Duplessis", frequent among
the Huguenots, come from; would the mother be of French origin?
 
3. The last mention of Usher, in the journal of John Lambert, was in
Quebec in december 1808, and Charles Durang says Mrs. Usher was a widow
when he joined her troupe in 1810. Did Usher disappear with the troupe of
Prigmore? Since he is known for having been an important agent for actors
going West, is he mentioned elsewhere after decembre 1808?
 
4. We know by Charles Durang that the name of Usher's wife was "de
L'Estrange", and that she came with her parents from London where they
fled during the French Revolution; they joined later a troupe in
Philadelphia. Does anyone know the first name of Mrs. de L'Estrange
Usher?  Do we know in what american city she worked when she sold her
"Montreal Theatre" to John Mills and left Montreal?  Boston?  Philadelphia?
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   **** **** **** Andre Bourassa            Departement de theatre
  **** **** ****  Editeur                   Universite du Quebec a Montreal
 **** **** ****   L'Annuaire theatral       C.P. 8888, Succ. "A"
**** **** ****    Tel: (514) 987-8438       Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
         ****     Fax: (514) 987-7881       H3C 3P9
        ****      INTERNET: bourassa.andre_g at UQAM.CA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~