Women Performers on English Stages 1660–1740

Abstract

This chapter considers the arrival of the English actress on patent stages as the pragmatic decision of theatre managers, influenced by transnational European commercial theatrical practices. Looking beyond the much-feted leading actresses, the chapter explores the many women at work in minor roles, at the performance opportunities of the popular booth and fair venues, and beyond London on the burgeoning regional circuits of England. As the eighteenth century progressed, the involvement of women performers had an impact on the development of the repertoire, the extent of theatrical touring and the cultural role of theatre itself. The concentration on individual celebrated performers has allowed us to see actresses as standing in for debates about femininity or theories of individuality and interiority in the period. Turning our attention to the wider number of women performers working across popular performance as well as main stages, and beyond London, enables us to acknowledge the political valence of a popular mushrooming of theatrical culture across England. By considering the actresses’ work not just in terms of the literary qualities of dramatic character in the main-piece, but in the context of the full performance environment of an afternoon or evening’s entertainment, we can gain a richer understanding of the pragmatic practices of women performers in the development of an England-wide theatre industry and of the cultural work of the English stage.