In Depth: Women of Restoration Theatre

Clore Learning Centre: Cottesloe Room, The National Theatre, South Bank
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Event has ended
This event ended on Wednesday 24th of June 2015
Admission
£45 (£35 concessions)
Venue Information
National Theatre
South Bank, Belvedere Road, SE1 9PX
Nearest Tube/Rail Stations
Temple 0.26 miles

This day considers the impact of women on the drama of the Restoration period as performers, playwrights and patrons of what might be seen as the birth of modern theatre. Participants will engage with the world of Restoration theatre, focusing on the early work of the theatres as they began to re-open from 1660 after Charles II was returned to the throne, and the revolutionary introduction of women into the company of His Majesty’s Servants. Actresses delighted audiences and scandalised critics. The sexual exploits of Nell Gwynn may be better known than the triumphs of actress/manager Elizabeth Barry, but both are central to the growing fascination with stage celebrity. There will be opportunities to participate in discussions about well-known plays including The Country Wife, The Way of the World and The Beaux’ Stratagem, and to respond to readings from some of Susannah Centlivre’s commercial successes alongside other plays by women that the repertoire forgot.

Led by Lucy Kerbel (Tonic Theatre) and Professor Gilli Bush-Bailey (Royal Central School of Speech & Drama)

GILLI BUSH-BAILEY is Professor of Women's Performance History. Currently Visiting Professor at Central, she was previously head of the Department of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she taught and published research on women and Restoration theatre, women and comedy, and 19th-century theatre. Gilli’s published work includes Treading the Bawds, on the collaborative work of actresses and playwrights, and Performing Herself an ‘Auto/Biography’ on the work of actress/manager Fanny Kelly and her one-woman show.


LUCY KERBEL is the Director of Tonic Theatre and an award-winning theatre director. She began her career as Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio and English Touring Theatre. While directing around the UK, Lucy became interested in the question of gender equality in theatre. She recognised that the industry would need better support if it were to achieve greater balance in its workforce and repertoire and so founded Tonic Theatre to go some way towards achieving this. Tonic is currently an affiliate company at the National Theatre Studio. Lucy’s first book, 100 Great Plays for Women, is published by Nick Hern Books.

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