Crothers, Rachel

Crothers, Rachel (krŭth`ərz), 1878–1958, American playwright and director, b. Bloomington, Ill., grad. Illinois State Normal Univ., 1892. Her plays, many of which were social comedies treating the ethical problems of women, were notable for their craftsmanship. Among her major successes were The Three of Us (1906), A Man's World (1909), He and She (1911), Old Lady 31 (1916), Let Us Be Gay (1929), and Susan and God (1937).

---

Crothers, Rachel (1878–1958) playwright; born in Bloomington, Ill. She began as an actress but gave that up to teach, writing her first play in 1904. Her first success on Broadway was The Three of Us (1906) and for the next 30 years she wrote a Broadway hit virtually every season, usually producing and directing as well. Her last success was Susan and God (1936). Her witty plays were often concerned with the relations between the sexes and with the consequences of inequality and the struggle for women's rights. She founded the Stage Women's Relief during World War I. In 1940 she took the lead in organizing the American Theatre Wing that ran the Stage Door Canteen for service people during World War II.