02366cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000170011324500710013026400510020130000470025233600260029933700260032533800360035150000310038750802130041852012530063153400450188465300750192985600430200499900170204739454UtSlPG20260610133914.0mcr n260607r2012||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aThorpe, Fred10aAhead of the Show; Or, The Adventures of Al Allston, Advance Agent 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2012  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2012-04-14  aE-text prepared by Steven desJardins and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by the Google Books Library Project (http://books.google.com)  a"Ahead of the Show; Or, The Adventures of Al Allston, Advance Agent" by Fred Thorpe is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story revolves around Al Allston, a determined and resourceful young man who aspires to become an advance agent for a theatrical company. Set against the backdrop of the vibrant and often chaotic world of theatre during this period, the narrative explores themes of ambition, adventure, and the challenges faced by those in the performing arts.  At the start of the narrative, we are introduced to the frustrated manager Gus Wattles, who is dealing with an absent advance agent while trying to salvage a nearly empty house for a performance in Boomville. Seizing an opportunity, Al approaches Wattles, advocating for himself as a potential advance agent. Despite his youth and lack of experience, Al proposes an audacious plan to draw an audience, which includes enlisting the help of the mayor's stage-struck wife. The opening portion sets the tone for Al's clever and persistent nature, as well as his determination to prove himself in the competitive world of theatre, all while laying the groundwork for the various challenges and adventures that are set to unfold. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aPerforming arts -- United States -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39454  c80293d80293