Final answer:
Early American theaters were profoundly influenced by the British theatrical tradition, adapting British plays or borrowing plots for new productions after the lifting of the ban on theater in the mid-1700s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early American theaters were greatly influenced by the British theatrical tradition. Initially, theater was viewed with suspicion and was outlawed, but as attitudes changed and the ban was lifted, theatrical productions began to emerge in the American colonies. Many of the early American plays either produced works from the British stage or adapted British plots to create new plays, drawing upon the robust tradition of English theater as a source of inspiration.
Throughout the history of theatre, we see that Western theatre originated in Ancient Greece, but over time, it spread to various parts of the Western Hemisphere, including European and American cultures. Theatre in Europe and America continued to evolve, with inspiration from various sources, until it found its own unique voice. By the mid-1700s in America, the British influence was particularly strong, with English plays and players significantly shaping American theater.