Alice Minnie Herts (c. 1870 – September 28, 1933), sometimes seen as A. Minnie Hertz-Heniger, was an American theatre professional, founder and manager of the Children's Educational Theatre in New York. Mark Twain said of Herts's theatrical work, "I consider it the greatest citizen-making force of the century."

Early life and education

Herts was born in New York City, the daughter of Henry B. and Esther Moss Herts. She attended Public School No. 47 before pursuing teacher training at the Normal College, New York City, and the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris.

Career

Herts started as a social worker with the Educational Alliance, and in 1903 founded the Children's Educational Theatre in New York City, "to make our thousands of immigrant children better citizens; to educate them; to develop their sympathies and their characters; to give them the best possible sort of a good time, and to counteract the evil and sordid influences of tenement and factory." She recruited

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

to serve as president of the theatre board, and

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served as director of the productions until 1909. The program produced or adapted works by

Mary Hunter Austin Mary Hunter Austin (September 9, 1868 – August 13, 1934) was an American writer. One of the early nature writers of the American Southwest, her classic '' The Land of Little Rain'' (1903) describes the fauna, flora, and people – as well as e ...

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, and other writers. Her book, ''The Children's Educational Theatre'' (1911) laid out the mission and educational bases of her project, as well as the practical aspects of creating a theatre program for children. A later book by Herts, ''The Kingdom of the Child'' (1918), explored similar themes. By 1917 Herts held a faculty appointment at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She also made a lecture tour and spoke at national meetings, including the Drama League convention in Pittsburgh in 1917. From the early 1920s Herts and her husband Jacob Heniger ran a summer camp in

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. The site is now known as "Heniger Park."

Personal life

Herts married Jacob Heniger in 1913. She died in 1933, in her 60s.

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

offers an Alice Minnie Hertz Heniger Scholarship to "a student pursuing a course in music, drama, or literature, with the primary purpose of benefiting children."

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...

English Department also offers an Alice Minnie Hertz Heniger Scholarship for Children's Literature.Lehman College
English Department Prizes and Awards Ceremony
, April 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herts, Alice Minnie 1870s births Year of birth uncertain 1933 deaths American theatre managers and producers Businesspeople from New York City