Joseph C. Foster (January 31, 1804 – April 9, 1877) was a Scottish-born American stage manager and playwright.
Foster was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and came to America in the 1830s, a clown with Cooke's Circus,[1] appearing in productions such as Mazeppa.
[1] In 1840, William Evans Burton leased the new National Theatre in Philadelphia, and Foster assisted in the stage production of a drama called The Naiad Queen (with Charlotte Cushman playing the queen) arranging the scenes and special effects.
The National Theatre also produced a number of Foster's own creations, including two where he played the role of Napoleon.
[2][3][4] In 1870, his Twelve Temptations, which was created in the vein of The Black Crook with a story from the Walpurgis Night legend, ran for over 150 performances at the Grand Opera House.