David Mayer (historian)

David Mayer
Born(1928-11-23)November 23, 1928
Chicago, Illinois U.S.
DiedSeptember 2023(2023-09-00) (aged 94)
OccupationAcademic
Known forWriting about theatre history, being mistaken for a Chechen terrorist
RelativesCatherine Mayer (daughter), Lise Mayer (daughter)
Websitewww.professordavidmayer.com

David Mayer (November 23, 1928 – August 24, 2023) was an American-British theatre historian. He was Emeritus Professor of Drama and Honorary Research Professor at the University of Manchester. Mayer was also known for accidentally being placed on a U.S. terrorism blacklist due to a case of mistaken identity.

In 2016, Mayer discovered that he had been placed on a U.S. security list because a Chechen militant called Akhmed Chatayev, who was wanted by US authorities, had used the alias 'David Mayer'.[1] The case of mistaken identity meant Mayer could not travel to the US or receive mail from the US.[2][3][4][5]

As of November 2020, Mayer was still encountering bureaucratic problems as a result of his name being on a watchlist.[6]

As a theatre historian,[7] his work centres on the "drama of the long 19th century and with the late-Victorian stage’s many links with early [silent] film."[8][9] In 2012, he received the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) Distinguished Scholar Award.[10] In 2017, Mayer supported a campaign to save Harker's Studio, one of the last theatre scenery workshops in the UK.[11]

His publications include Stagestruck Filmmaker, about the film director D.W. Griffith and Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836.[12][13]

Mayer was a U.S. Army veteran and the father of the UK's Women's Equality Party founder Catherine Mayer,[1] and writer and activist Lise Mayer, who co-created the sitcom The Young Ones.[14]

Mayer died in August 2023, at the age of 94.[15]

  1. ^ a b "Strange case of theatre historian, 90, mistaken for one-armed terrorist". the Guardian. December 16, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Theatre historian, 90, can't get U.S. mail since ISIS fighter used his name as an alias". CBC. December 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "A 90-year-old U.S. veteran who shares a name with a Chechen terrorist is having a hard time travelling and receiving packages". New York Daily News. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "U.S. Army Veteran Mistaken For ISIS Terrorist". Newsweek. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "A 90-Year-Old US Army Vet With Same Name As A Terrorist Can't Fly Or Get Packages". Task & Purpose. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Mayer, Catherine (November 23, 2020). "Twitter post". Twitter. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Sanderson, David. "Top actors fight to stop curtain falling on Harker's Studios theatre workshop". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Prof David Mayer | The University of Manchester". www.research.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Hasted, Michael (March 28, 2016). "BANDITS! OR THE COLLAPSING BRIDGE by David Mayer with Bryony Dixon". StageTalk Magazine. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Theatre historian receives award for outstanding achievement in scholarship | StaffNet | The University of Manchester". www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Sanderson, David. "Top actors fight to stop curtain falling on Harker's Studios theatre workshop". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Mayer, David; Mayer, Emeritus Professor of Drama David (1969). Harlequin in His Element: The English Pantomime, 1806–1836. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-37275-7.
  13. ^ "David Mayer | University of Iowa Press - The University of Iowa". uipress.uiowa.edu. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Lise Mayer". HuffPost UK. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "In Memoriam: David Mayer, 1928–2023". American Society for Theatre Research. Retrieved November 16, 2023.