Background
He was born in 1758 in Carmarthen, Wales, United Kingdom, the son of S. Powell, a theatre manager. His mother’s name is unknown. He began his connection with the stage in early life by acting children's parts.
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Snelling Powell
Edit ProfileEducation
He learned the printer's trade.
Career
When he came to the United States with his brother in 1793, he brought with him a printing outfit which he put to good use in the preparation of announcements for their theatrical undertakings.
His American début as an actor was made on February 3, 1794, at the opening performance of the Boston Theatre in Federal Street, of which his brother was manager, the play being Henry Brooke's tragedy, Gustavus Vasa, the Deliverer of His Country. With the exception of brief excursions to several cities not far from Boston, including Providence and New York, he was almost uninterruptedly identified with the stage of the city of his adoption.
Snelling Powell joined the company at the new Haymarket Theatre, Boston, on the occasion of its opening on December 26, 1796, under the management of his brother, playing Doricourt in The Belle's Stratagem, with his wife as Letitia Hardy. With John Bernard and J. H. Dickson (who was his brother-in-law) he took over the joint lesseeship of the Boston Theatre in 1806. As an actor, Snelling Powell appears to have been more skillful in the technique of the stage than gifted as an artist. He was seen in many characters in the repertory of tragedy, comedy, farce, and melodrama prevalent in his day, but during his last years he acted seldom, though his business connections with the theatre continued until the end of his life.
He died in Boston, after a long illness.
Achievements
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Snelling Powell was a well-known manager and actor in Boston Theatre and Haymarket Theatre. Under his auspices the last theatre did a most flourishing business. As an actor, Snelling Powell appears to have been more skillful in the technique of the stage than gifted as an artist. He was seen in many characters in the repertory of tragedy, comedy, farce, and melodrama (famous for his role of Doricourt in The Belle's Stratagem). He remained influencial in theater business until the end of his life.
Personality
He was a gentleman, a good friend, and an honest and highly esteemed citizen.
Quotes from others about the person
Powell is described by Clapp as "the first successful manager of a theatre in Boston".
John Hodgkinson, with whom he was closely associated at one time, is quoted as saying that "his Romeo, George Barnwell, and similar characters were respectable and often excellent".
Connections
He married in 1794 Elizabeth Harrison, a native of Cornwall, and an actress of great ability and no little distinction. She was born in 1774 and had acted in London and on tour with Mrs. Siddons before coming to the United States. His wife remained on the stage for many years after his death, dying in 1843, and their daughter Elizabeth, who was one of their eight children, became the wife of Henry James William Finn, a distinguished American actor of the middle of the nineteenth century.
