Fire Witch

Kate Claxton and the 1876 Brooklyn Theatre Inferno

by Melanie Gall

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Pub Date 6 Oct 2026 | Archive Date 14 Jul 2026

Globe Pequot | Lyons Press

Arts & Photography | Biographies & Memoirs | History

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Description

New York’s past holds millions of forgotten stories, but few are as fascinating as the tale of Kate Claxton, the “Fire Witch.” Kate was one of the most celebrated actresses in nineteenth-century America. A central figure of American theater in New York’s Gilded Age, she was a remarkable woman who spent her life challenging conventions and flouting expectations.

Kate Claxton was a successful businesswoman just a few years after women were granted the legal right to their own wages. Not only was she one of the most lauded actresses of her generation, but she held American theatergoers in her thrall through her portrayal of a single dramatic role: Louise, the sixteen-year-old blind heroine of the French melodrama The Two Orphans. Kate debuted the part when she was thirty, playing to sold-out houses and critical acclaim for over thirty years and more than five thousand performances.

Despite her supernatural nickname, Kate was no witch. But after the stormy night of December 4, 1876, when Kate stood onstage amid the panic and flames as the Brooklyn Theatre burned around her, she became inseparably connected with the disaster. This tragic event, and multiple subsequent fires that occurred in hotels and theaters where Kate was present, branded her as “Fire Witch” and “Fire Fiend”—labels that followed her for the rest of her days.

Like many legends of stage and screen, Kate’s life was tinged with tragedy. But she continually persevered. She outlived all six of her children, carrying on through each tragic loss; her two marriages were awash in scandal, yet she emerged with her reputation intact; she was often on the brink of financial ruin, but each time was saved from destitution.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 killed 146 people and is firmly ingrained in the history of the city. But the Brooklyn Theatre fire, which killed 300, has been almost completely forgotten. This Brooklyn inferno was the tragedy with the highest peacetime death toll in the New York area until 9/11. The fire, its victims, and its heroine are an integral part of New York’s history. (Includes 60 B&W Photographs.)

Marketing Plan

KEY PROMO POINTS

Melanie Gall, an up-and-coming theatre historian and accomplished performer, presents what should swiftly be embraced as the definitive book on the topic (and being published this year on the 150th anniversary of what remains a strange and tragic 1876 fire in Brooklyn, NY).

Author's first book got a positive Library Journal review, so efforts will be made to ensure a review on this new hardcover book not only with Library Journal but also – on the strength of this author's growing reputation within the trade, from a majority of the other major trade publications (Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Foreword Reviews, BookPage, BookRiot, Shelf Awareness).

The author has established a schedule of promotional events around the book timed to Fall 2026 (with continued promotion moving toward Spring 2027), including the following:

* Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn) where Kate and victims of the Brooklyn Theater Fire are buried. Green-Wood will allow access to their mailing list and social media (10K followers), an in-person performance/reading, and possibly a series of tours telling Kate's story and pointing out relevant graves and landmarks.

* Brooklyn Theatre Site: Author working on having small memorial marker placed and planning a commemoration event in December 2026.

* Film Forum (downtown NYC): Author will introduce screening of Orphans of the Storm (a 1921 D.W. Griffith silent movie starring Lillian Gish in a role based on Kate's signature piece) and give a short lecture about Kate's life.

* SoHo Theatre: Author exploring holding a staged reading of The Two Orphans, the play that was being performed the night of the fire.

* Lofty Pigeon Bookstore (Brooklyn) & Drama Bookstore (Manhattan): Interested in holding readings mid-November 2026.

* New York Performing Arts Library & Museum of the City of New York: Sources for author research for this book.

Publicity

Print, Broadcast & Major Media:

National newspapers: New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian (UK)

Theater publications/websites: American Theatre Magazine (51K readers), Playbill (3.4M readers), TDR (The Drama Review), Performing Arts Journal (PAJ), Theatre Journal, and Modern Drama

General interest: The Atlantic, The New Yorker, TIME, Newsweek

NPR shows: All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Fresh Air w/Terry Gross

Broadcast (with a NYC-centric perspective in segment pitches): CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Today, ABC Good Morning, America / Live with Kelly & Mark

Podcasts:

Theatre Interest (including but not limited to the following list):

The Theatre Podcast w/Alan Seales

Stageworthy (Canadian program)

Call Time with Katie Birenboim

Euripedes, Eumenides: Theatre History Podcast

Broadway Radio

Everything Theater Podcast

Regrets, I've Had a Few

On Stage w/Kevin Yates

The Present Stage w/Dan Rubins

Pocket Dramaturg: A Theatre History Podcast

A Spoonful of Theatre

Theatre Talk

30-Minute Touring Performance: Author has created a mix of acting excerpts and music from The Two Orphans that she can tour to bookstores, book clubs, museums, and libraries.

She also has several dozen theater, live music, and speaking engagements throughout the year, with audiences ranging up to 3K people.

KEY PROMO POINTS

Melanie Gall, an up-and-coming theatre historian and accomplished performer, presents what should swiftly be embraced as the definitive book on the topic (and being published this...

Available Editions

EDITION	Hardcover
ISBN	9781493098309
PRICE	$32.95 (USD)
PAGES	266

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