John William Isham

John William Isham
John W. Isham from a poster for Oriental America
Born	1866 Utica, New York, USA
Died	September 24, 1902 Whitestone, New York
Nationality	American
Occupation	Vaudeville impresario
Known for	Octoroons

John William Isham (1866 – September 24, 1902) was an American vaudeville impresario who was known for his Octoroons and Oriental America shows. These had their roots in traditional minstrel shows but included chorus girls, sketches and operas. They were part of the transition to the American burlesque shows of the early 20th century.

John William Isham was born in Utica, New York in 1866. He had some African-American ancestry but was fair-skinned and often passed for white. When he entered show business he was therefore allowed to assume responsible positions in management and advertising. He worked for the Ryan & Robinson circus in the 1883–84 season in the advertising department. He then worked for the Sells Brothers (1885–86) and Barnum & Bailey (1886–88).

Isham was employed as advance man for the Creole Burlesque Show by Sam T. Jack. The show, which ran from 1890 to 1897, was the first to present beautiful black women as chorus girls in place of the traditional all-male chorus. It has been called the first black burlesque show. It included original songs, sketches and comedy numbers by black artists. Isham played a role of growing importance in the Creole Burlesque Show. In 1893 a writer in the Indianapolis Freeman said of Isham that he "has done more for the advancement of the colored race in all America than any other man since the day of its emancipation."

Isham decided to form his own company in 1895. This was the second major show to feature beautiful black chorus girls. It was first called Isham's Creole Opera, then renamed The Royal Octoroons and then Isham's Octoroons after Jack threatened to sue Isham over the name. The show was co-owned by Ernest Graff. The original Octoroons show had sixteen male and seventeen female performers.

The Octoroons kept some of the structure of the traditional minstrel show, but with significant changes. The original show was in three parts, with scenes based on New York City. The first part opened with a chorus, followed by songs performed by the leading soloists, supported by the chorus girls. The second part was a burlesque sketch, a series of specialty acts very loosely woven into a story. The third part had a cakewalk jubilee, a military drill and a "chorus march".