Another entry on Maude Adams (1872-1953)

Best known for her portrayal of "Peter Pan", in the play written expressly for her by James Barrie (1905), Maude Adams was one of this country's most beloved leading ladies and for many years the theater's greatest box office attraction. Offstage, Adams was known for her generosity, her integrity, and her desire for privacy. At the age of five she played her first speaking part at the old Bush Theater in San Francisco, gaining experience in other local theaters before heading to New York. For five years she was John Drew's leading lady before becoming a star in "The Little Minister" (1897).

From another source:

(1872-1953), actor

Born on November 11, 1872, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden began her theatrical career at the age of nine months, when she was carried on stage by her mother, a leading lady of the Salt Lake City stock company, in a local production. She took speaking roles as soon as she could talk, adopting her actress mother's maiden name (Adams) for the stage. At five she attracted considerable attention in San Francisco in the play Fritz, and at age 16 she joined Edward H. Sothern's company in New York City, making her debut in that city in 1888. Soon after her appearance in A Midnight Bell (1889), she moved to Charles Frohman's company where, from 1892 to 1897, she regularly played opposite John Drew in such pieces as Clyde Fitch's Masked Ball and Rosemary. She first won top billing in 1897 as Lady Babble in James M. Barrie's The Little Minister. Although she played a wide range of roles, including several of Shakespeare's great heroines, it was her portrayals of Barrie characters that brought her acclaim and the lasting devotion of audiences. Her greatest successes were in Quality Street in 1902 and again in 1915-16, What Every Woman Knows (1908-09), A Kiss for Cinderella (1916-18), and especially Peter Pan. She performed the leading role in Peter Pan in more than 1,500 performances in 1905-07, 1913, and 1918. She also appeared in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1899), Edmond Rostand's L'Aiglon (1900-01), Friedrich von Schiller's Joan of Arc (Die Jungfrau von Orleans) (1909), and Rostand's Chantecler (1910-11).

In 1918, though by all accounts still a dazzling beauty, she retired from performance and for a time worked with Charles P. Steinmetz on improving stage lighting. In 1931 she played Portia opposite Otis Skinner's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, and in 1934 she made her last appearance, as Maria in Twelfth Night. From 1937 to 1943 she was chairman of the drama department of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. She had always kept her private life from public view, and she lived quietly in retirement until her death in Tannersville, New York, on July 17, 1953

From yet another source:

Maude Adams was best known for her role as Pan in "Peter Pan" in 1906. "Peter Pan" was written for Maude by James Barrie, her close friend. She played the role of Pan 223 times in her career and most of her fans did not know that she was a woman in the role of Peter Pan. Maude was a wonderful actress and person. Sometimes Maude raised the pay of her fellow actors out of her own and gave gifts to kind stagehands. Another experience tells of a theatre owner who had doubled the cost of the tickets of one of Maude's shows, because her name brought in a sold-out house. But before Maude would perform she made him refund the difference to the overcharged attendees.

Maude Adams was born on November 1, 1872 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Maude made her first theatrical appearance at the age of nine months. Her mother was an actress as well and they often acted together. Maude debuted at the age of ten in a production called "Esmeralda." Starting at the age of sixteen, she joined many theatre companies. Maude was in a production called "The Little Minister", in which she played the part of Lady Babbie 300 times in New York and 65 times in Boston. Other productions in which she acted, are "Quality Street" (1902) and "What Every Woman Knows" (1908).

Maude also worked at General Electric Laboratories experimenting with color lamps for movies. She invented a high-powered incandescent lamp that later made colored movies possible. But she was given no credit for her contribution. She was advised to sue but refused to pursue litigation and later noted in her diary that she thought herself an "idiot" for her decision.

At one point in Maude's life she was forced to deal with some saddening tragedies. In 1915, she lost her grandmother and her manager Charles Frohman, and in 1916, her mother passed away. These events temporarily put a damper on Maude's career. Maude usually shunned the limelight of show business and was known for her generosity.

Later in her life, Maude headed the drama department at Stephens College in Missouri from 1937-1943. She also became a world traveler after her career began to slow down. She once said of the Swiss Alps, "They are inspiring but not friendly like the mountains that protect the lovely Valley of Salt Lake. My childhood had been guarded by the kindly Wasatch Range, and the Rockies were friends from my beginning." Maude tried to return to Utah as often as often as her career permitted. She loved coming home and once stated, "At Grand-mother's house, there were vastly entertaining things: cows and sheep and horses and dogs. And trees to climb with cherries at the top. And oh, the sweet-smelling hay in the barn and the swing tied to one of the rafters. There were fields to roam, whole fields of wild flowers-freedom." -State of Utah Commission for Women and Families

From another source:

The Cenacle at Ronkonkoma is one of many throughout the world. The Cenacle Community began in 1826 in the mountain village of La Louvesc, France. The term Cenacle has a biblical origin; it is the room of the Last Supper and where Mary and the Apostles waited together in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The spirit of this first retreat in the Cenacle still calls men and women of today to Cenacle Retreat Centers.

The Cenacle Retreat Center, a place of prayer and spiritual renewal is located on the center of Long Island in Ronkonkoma, New York. Founded in 1922, it is presently located on 45 acres of rustic land, which includes a pond and ample paths for walking. The property was a gift to the Cenacle Sisters from the famous actress Maude Adams. Portraits and memorabilia of Maude Adams add to the comfort and beauty of the Cenacle today. The original house on the property, used by Maude Adams for vacation and rest, has been renovated according to its original style. The mission of the Cenacle is to respond to the deep inner hunger for meaning, experienced in today's world. A Catholic Retreat Center, the Cenacle Staff welcomes people of all faiths.

From another source

High-Flying American Actress Maude Adams (1872-1953)

Maude Adams was the original Peter Pan. Scottish playwright James Barrie wrote the play specifically for her in 1905 when the actress was at the height of her popularity, and thanks to Maude's incomparable portrayal, Peter Pan became an instant classic. Maude's stage career had begun at the early age of 9 months. Her mother was a leading lady with a theatrical company that put on plays in Salt Lake City's Social Hall. One night's play called for a baby to be brought on stage on a tray, but the baby who was cast in the part began wailing and couldn't be comforted. So Maude's mother grabbed her infant daughter out of her backstage crib, placed her on the tray, and allowed her to be carried on stage. That was just the beginning. By the time she could talk, Maude was touring with her mother throughout several western states, performing in venues ranging from mining town halls to San Francisco theaters. She made her New York debut at age 10. In 1892, she joined the company of noted manager Charles Frohman and for the next five years appeared opposite the noted actor John Drew. Her roles included everything from Shakespearean drama to comedy, and her name on the playbill was enough to fill the theater. But Maude is most remembered for her roles in James Barrie's plays. She had already successfully played in Barrie's The Little Minister and Quality Street by the time she began charming hundreds of children with her portrayal of Peter Pan. During the play's run, she never left the theater if children might be waiting outside because she didn't want to spoil their illusion of the magical, flying boy by letting them see she was a woman. Maude retired from the stage at the relatively young age of 44. A biographer has suggested that her long-time mentor and manager Charles Frohman was the one love of Maude's life and that his death (he was a passenger on the Lusitania, the passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat in 1915), along with the death of her grandmother later that year and her mother in March 1916, were factors in her retirement. From 1937 to 1943, Maude headed the drama department at Stephens College, a small women's college in Missouri. She was born on November 11, 1872, and died on July 17, 1953

From another source:

Adams, Maude, 1872-1953, American actress, b. Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father's name was Kiskadden, but she used her mother's maiden name. She began acting at an early age and became leading lady to John Drew under the management of the Frohmans, an assignment that lasted for five years. In 1897 she had her first starring role in Barrie's Little Minister. Other Barrie plays she starred in include Quality Street (1901), Peter Pan (1905), the play for which she was most loved, and What Every Woman Knows (1908). In her retirement after 1918, Adams made valuable contributions to the development of stage lighting; in 1937 she became professor of drama at Stephens College.

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