Editing L. Frank Baum (section)

===Theater===
Baum embarked on his lifetime infatuation—and wavering financial success—with the theater.<ref>Rogers, pp. 8–9, 16–17 and ff.</ref> A local theatrical company duped him into replenishing their stock of costumes on the promise of leading roles coming his way. Disillusioned, Baum left the theater—temporarily—and went to work as a clerk in his brother-in-law's dry goods company in [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]]. This experience may have influenced his story "The Suicide of Kiaros", first published in the literary journal ''The White Elephant''. A fellow clerk one day had been found locked in a store room dead, probably from suicide.

Baum could never stay away long from the stage. He performed in plays under the stage names of Louis F. Baum and George Brooks.<ref>Rogers, p. 6.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Abrams|first=Dennis|title=L. Frank Baum|year=2010|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-604-13501-5|page=122}}</ref> In 1880, his father built him a theater in [[Richburg, New York]], and Baum set about writing plays and gathering a company to act in them. ''[[The Maid of Arran]]'' proved a modest success, a [[melodrama]] with songs based on [[William Black (novelist)|William Black]]'s novel ''A Princess of Thule''. Baum wrote the play and composed songs for it (making it a prototypical [[musical play|musical]], as its songs relate to the narrative), and acted in the leading role. His aunt Katharine Gray played his character's aunt. She was the founder of Syracuse Oratory School, and Baum advertised his services in her catalog to teach theater, including stage business, play writing, directing, translating (French, German, and Italian), revision, and [[operettas]]<!---following clause deleted as it makes no sense: though he was not employed to do so--->.

On November 9, 1882, Baum married [[Maud Gage Baum|Maud Gage]], a daughter of [[Matilda Joslyn Gage]], a famous [[women's suffrage]] and [[first wave feminism|feminist]] activist. A local newspaper reported that their ceremony was "one of equality" and that their marriage vows were "precisely the same."<ref>{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Kate|title=Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment|publisher=[[Gibbs Smith]]|date=2022|location=Layton, UT|page=54|isbn=9781423658726}}</ref> While Baum was touring with ''The Maid of Arran'', the theater in Richburg caught fire during a production of Baum's ironically titled parlor drama ''Matches'', destroying the theater as well as the only known copies of many of Baum's scripts, including ''Matches'', as well as costumes.