Lucy Feagin

Lucy Harris Feagin (January 13, 1876 – May 8, 1963) was an American teacher and founder of the Feagin School of Dramatic Art in New York City. She was the first woman to establish and operate a drama school in New York City where she taught students who later became prominent actors and actresses. Her students came from around the world. The New York League of Business and Professional Women in June 1938 named Feagin "as one of the twenty-five most outstanding career women of America".

Personal life Lisa Feagin was born in Union Springs, Alabama, on January 13, 1876, to Isaac Ball Feagin and Sarah Hall Feagin. Feagin's mother resided in Bullock County, Alabama, for 60 years and lived to be almost 100. As a child, Feagin, her siblings and other childhood friends play-acted, using a piano box for a stage. She studied at Hollins College in Virginia where she needed to supplement her art courses, then considered "normal" for a woman, with the study of drama. She lived in Washington, D.C., for eight years before moving to New York City. Feagin continued to visit her mother in Union Springs annually.

Teaching career Upon graduating, Feagin was a drama instructor for ten years at Judson College in Marion, Alabama, and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Feagin worked with well-known drama teachers to enhance her own drama knowledge and skills, while she continued teaching. She studied in London and Paris. She was part of a patriotic pageant for President Woodrow Wilson on July 4, 1917, which she said was "the greatest thrill she had ever known". Her new studio, in the International Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City, could hold around 300 students and 18 staff. The studio contained a 250-seat Little Theater, a large stage, a broadcast studio, classrooms, and studios for scenery and costume design. Her students' backgrounds were international. Broadway theatre producers frequently sent talent scouts to watch Feagin's students. Recruiters for the radio, screen, and stage were always on hand when the seniors presented their plays. Her studio "teas" were frequented by the Broadway and radio stars of the era – including Ina Claire, Elizabeth Patterson, and Helen Hayes. Feagin was offered the opportunity to be part of a program at Central Park to celebrate William Shakespeare's 368th birthday which The Birmingham News said was a "significant honor". Her lectures titled "The Charm of Good Speech" received praise.

The New York League of Business and Professional Women in June 1938 named Feagin "as one of the twenty-five most outstanding career women of America". The New York Evening Telegram wrote that "Miss Lucy Feagin might be called a specialist in the high art of self-expression". Her students included Jeff Corey, Susan Hayward, Angela Lansbury, and Cris Alexander. The Troy Messenger said, "The League found a number of studios originated by women, it is true; but Lucy Feagin's organization differed from them in completeness of curriculum, size of faculty and enrollment and character of equipment."

Death Feagin taught private lessons until around two years before her death on May 8, 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama. Services took place at Oakhill Cemetery.