William Macready the elder

William Macready the elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager.

The son of a Dublin upholsterer, Macready started his career playing in Irish country towns. He joined the Capel Street Theatre in Dublin in 1782, and the Crow Street Theatre later during the 1782–3 season. The next season, he was brought to the Mill Gate Theatre, by Michael Atkins. He was in 1785 a member of the company at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin.

On the introduction of Charles Macklin, Macready went to Liverpool, and to Manchester under George Mattocks at the beginning of 1786.

Macready appeared at Covent Garden Theatre, 18 September 1786, as Flutter in the Belle's Stratagem, and remained there ten years, playing parts such as Gratiano, Paris, Young Marlow, Figaro, Fag, and Tattle in Love for Love, and producing two plays by himself. He returned to Dublin to take summer parts, to the early 1790s.

At Covent Garden Macready took only supporting roles, to 1797: he was one of the proverbial "second-rate walking gentlemen". Then he sought to become an actor-manager outside London, with mixed success. He began in management at Birmingham, around 1795–6; in 1796 George Davies Harley was denying a rift there with Macready.

Macready managed a variety season in 1797, unsuccessfully, the Royalty Theatre, Wellclose Square, then east of London; his company was drawn from other theatres. The programme was directed towards burlettas and pantomimes.

Macready is best known as manager of the theatres at Birmingham, Sheffield, and other provincial towns and cities; but his ambitions were not fulfilled. In 1806 he took over at Newcastle from Stephen George Kemble, holding the lease to 1818. Macready also attempted but failed in management in Manchester. He was jailed for debt in Lancaster Castle in 1809. At that time he owed money on the Newcastle lease, and was trying to manage a group of theatres in locations also including Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.

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