 At the same time, audiences had always treated theaters as places to make their feelings known, not just towards the actors, but towards their fellow theatergoers of different classes or political persuasions, and theatre riots were a regular occurrence in New York.An example of the power of these stars is the Astor Place Riot in 1849, which was caused by a conflict between the American star Edwin Forrest and the English actor William Charles Macready.The riot pitted immigrants and nativists against each other, leaving at least 25 dead and more than 120 injured.