In the years before the American Civil War, entertainment existed on a different scale. Technology was nowhere as advanced as it is today and entertainment was found in enormous ballrooms made out of wood roofs and brick walls where actors and actresses would perform for the people of the town. These ballrooms had countless rows of manmade chairs for the people to sit on and all the way in the front laid a giant stage where all the performances would take place. The term “Vaudeville” was an entertainment genre consisting in a variety of theatrical acts. These acts included popular and classical musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, magicians, acrobats, jugglers, and male and female impersonators. These groups of people were known as “vaudevillians." Vaudeville was very popular in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. It was also one of the most popular types of entertainment in North America for several decades. This created the start of many sources, including freak shows, dime museums, and literary burlesque. There was no doubt these shows attracted thousands off admirers from all over the country. People were willing to pay any price to watch these performers give them the show they’ve been looking for. The middle and high classes were the most abundant group of people to attend these shows and unfortunately for the poor the chance of getting in was very little. Vaudeville was home to more than 25,000 performers; it was an essential part of every community, from the local small-town stage to New York’s Palace Theater. According to John Kendrick the origin of Vaudeville is obscure, but is often explained as being derived from the expression voix de ville, which means “voice of the city” or “songs of the town”. In 1881 Tony Pastor, a ballad and minstrel singer created a variety show for families. Managers recognized that a wider audience meant more money and followed his