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{{Short description|British playwright}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
'''Elizabeth Polewhele''' (ca. 1651–ca. 1691), [[playwright]], was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in [[London]].<ref name="Todd1987">{{cite book|author=Janet Todd|editor=Janet M. Todd|title=A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K4EYAAAAIAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Rowman & Allanheld|isbn=978-0-8476-7125-0|page=259|chapter=Elizabeth Polwhele}}</ref> Her [[comedy]] ''The Frolicks'' was performed at the [[Dorset Garden Theatre]] in 1671; it features Claribell, a witty [[Restoration comedy|Restoration]] heroine, and Rightwit, a [[Rake (character)|rake]]. She has been identified, tentatively, as the daughter of [[Theophilus Polwhele]].<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=45820|first=Judith|last=Milhous|title=Polewheele, E.}}</ref>
{{Infobox Writer
| name = Elizabeth Polewhele
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = c. 1651
| death_date = c. 1691
| language = English
| occupation = Playwright
| notablework = ''The Frolicks, or, The Lawyer Cheated'' (1671)
| spouse = [[Stephen Lobb]] ?
| relatives = [[Theophilus Polwhele]] (father?)
| portaldisp = yes
}}
'''Elizabeth Polewheele''' (or Polewhele; later Lobb?; c. 1651 – c. 1691), [[playwright]], was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration]] [[London]].<ref name="Todd1987">{{cite book|author=Janet Todd|editor=Janet M. Todd|title=A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofbrit00redi|url-access=registration|year=1987|publisher=Rowman & Allanheld|isbn=978-0-8476-7125-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofbrit00redi/page/259 259]|chapter=Elizabeth Polwhele}}</ref>

==Life and work==
Little is known of Polewheele's life, though she has been tentatively identified as the daughter of [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformist]] minister [[Theophilus Polwhele]].<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ODNB|id=45820|first=Judith|last=Milhous|title=Polewheele, E.}}</ref> That Elizabeth Polwhele was born in or around 1651, married another minister, [[Stephen Lobb]], had five children, died in 1691, and is "probably" the playwright<ref name="Orlando">Brown et al.</ref> although the identification is "somewhat startling."<ref name="ODNB" />

There are records of Polewheele's having written three plays: ''Elysium'', "possibly a religious masque,"<ref name="Todd1987" /> now lost; ''The Faythfull Virgins'', a tragedy in rhyme; and ''The Frolicks'', a [[comedy]]. These latter plays exist only in [[manuscript]]. There is also "probably a [[Eulogy|eulogistic]] poem."<ref name="Orlando" />

''The Faythfull Virgins'' was likely performed at [[Lisle's Tennis Court|Lincoln's Inn Fields]] about 1670.<ref name="ODNB" />

''The Frolicks'' was possibly performed by the [[Duke's Company]] in 1671 at the new [[Dorset Garden Theatre]]; it features Clarabell, a witty [[Restoration comedy|Restoration]] heroine, and Rightwit, a [[Rake (character)|rake]]. It was dedicated to Prince Rupert and signed "E. Polewheele". In the dedication she mentions performance of both her earlier plays, and continues, "I am young, no scholar, and what I write I write by nature, not by art."

Along with [[Aphra Behn]] and [[Frances Boothby]], Polewheele was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in the early Restoration period.


==Plays==
==Plays==
*''Elysium'' (lost)
*''Elysium'' (lost)
*''The Faithful Virgins'' (ca. 1670; manuscript)
*''The Faythfull Virgins'' (ca. 1670; manuscript)
*''The Frolicks, or, The Lawyer Cheated'' (1671)
*''The Frolicks; or, The Lawyer Cheated'' (1671)


== ''The Frolicks, or The Lawyer Cheated'' ==
⚫
==References==
Written in or about 1671, the play existed solely in manuscript form until it was edited and published in a scholarly edition by [[Cornell University Press]] in 1977.<ref>Milhous and Hume, eds. 1977.</ref>

===Manuscript===
<gallery>
Elizabeth Polwhele The frolicks letter page 1 RMC2018 0434.jpg|Elizabeth Polwhele. ''The frolicks'': dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 1. 1671.
Elizabeth Polwhele The frolicks letter page 2 RMC2018 0435.jpg|Elizabeth Polwhele. ''The frolicks'': dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 2. 1671.
Elizabeth Polwhele The frolicks letter page 4 RMC2018 0437.jpg|Elizabeth Polwhele. ''The frolicks'': dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 4. 1671.
Elizabeth Polwhele The frolicks playscript page 2 RMC2018 0438.jpg|Elizabeth Polwhele. ''The frolicks'': playscript, page 2. 1671.
</gallery>

===First production===
On October 11–12, 2021, second year students of the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia<ref>{{Cite web|title=News: Hedgepig Ensemble and Partners "Expand the Canon" Again Beginning Sep. 13|date=9 September 2021 |url=https://www.thinkingtheaternyc.com/2021/09/news-hedgepig-ensemble-and-partners.html|access-date=2021-10-14|language=en}}</ref> premiered the first confirmed full length production of ''The Frolicks.'' The show was produced by the program and directed by Sara Hymes and Gregory Jon Phelps, two members of the Hedgepig Ensemble located in Brooklyn, New York. Hedgepig worked closely with the production's publicity team as the play was selected for Hedgepig's 2021 "Expand the Canon" list.

'''Cast'''·
Andrew Steven Knight as Rightwit ·
Rosemary Richards as Clarabell ·
Kelsey Linberg as Leonora/Philario ·
Cole Metz as Mr. Zany ·
Chase D. Fowler as Sir Gregory ·
Kara Hankard as Plainman/Mistress ·
Gil Mitchel as Speak ·
Beth Somerville as Swallow ·
Kelsey Harrison as Mark ·
Madison Mayberry as Sir Makelove ·
George Durfee as Lord Courtall ·
Kailey Potter as Lady Meanwell ·
Cameron Taylor as Sir Meanwell ·
Sam Corey as Ralph ·
Madison Rudolph as Procreate/Drawer ·
Ariel Tatum as Faith/Turnkey/Constable

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
⚫
*Wynne-Davies, Marion. "[http://www.bloomsbury.com/ARC/detail.asp?EntryID=108866&bid=9 Polwhele, Elizabeth (?1651-1691) English Restoration dramatist]." ''Dictionary of English Literature'', Bloomsbury, 1997.


⚫
==References==
⚫
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
*Brown, Susan, et al. "Elizabeth Polwhele." ''Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present''. Ed. Susan Brown, Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge UP, n.d. 22 Mar. 2013. Accessed 21 Sept. 2022.
*{{cite ODNB|id=45820|first=Judith|last=Milhous|title=Polewheele, E.}}
*Polewhele, Elizabeth. ''The Frolicks; or, The Lawyer Cheated''. 1671. Eds. Judith Milhous and Robert D. Hume. Ithaca, [N.Y.]: Cornell University Press, 1977. {{ISBN|0801410304}} ([https://archive.org/details/frolicksorlawyer00polw/page/n5/mode/2up Open access], Internet Archive)
*Todd, Janet. "Elizabeth Polwhele." ''A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800.'' Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Allanheld, 1985, p.&nbsp;259. ([https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofbrit00redi/page/259/mode/2up Open access], Internet Archive)
⚫
*Wynne-Davies, Marion. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928051833/http://www.bloomsbury.com/ARC/detail.asp?EntryID=108866&bid=9 Polwhele, Elizabeth (?1651-1691) English Restoration dramatist]." ''Dictionary of English Literature'', Bloomsbury, 1997.


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:British women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:British women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:English women writers]]
[[Category:17th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:17th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:17th-century writers]]
[[Category:17th-century English writers]]


{{UK-playwright-stub}}
{{UK-playwright-stub}}

Latest revision as of 17:13, 1 October 2024

Elizabeth Polewhele
Bornc. 1651
Diedc. 1691
OccupationPlaywright
LanguageEnglish
Notable workThe Frolicks, or, The Lawyer Cheated (1671)
SpouseStephen Lobb ?
RelativesTheophilus Polwhele (father?)
Literature portal

Elizabeth Polewheele (or Polewhele; later Lobb?; c. 1651 – c. 1691), playwright, was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in Restoration London.[1]

Life and work

[edit]

Little is known of Polewheele's life, though she has been tentatively identified as the daughter of nonconformist minister Theophilus Polwhele.[2] That Elizabeth Polwhele was born in or around 1651, married another minister, Stephen Lobb, had five children, died in 1691, and is "probably" the playwright[3] although the identification is "somewhat startling."[2]

There are records of Polewheele's having written three plays: Elysium, "possibly a religious masque,"[1] now lost; The Faythfull Virgins, a tragedy in rhyme; and The Frolicks, a comedy. These latter plays exist only in manuscript. There is also "probably a eulogistic poem."[3]

The Faythfull Virgins was likely performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields about 1670.[2]

The Frolicks was possibly performed by the Duke's Company in 1671 at the new Dorset Garden Theatre; it features Clarabell, a witty Restoration heroine, and Rightwit, a rake. It was dedicated to Prince Rupert and signed "E. Polewheele". In the dedication she mentions performance of both her earlier plays, and continues, "I am young, no scholar, and what I write I write by nature, not by art."

Along with Aphra Behn and Frances Boothby, Polewheele was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in the early Restoration period.

Plays

[edit]
  • Elysium (lost)
  • The Faythfull Virgins (ca. 1670; manuscript)
  • The Frolicks; or, The Lawyer Cheated (1671)

The Frolicks, or The Lawyer Cheated

[edit]

Written in or about 1671, the play existed solely in manuscript form until it was edited and published in a scholarly edition by Cornell University Press in 1977.[4]

Manuscript

[edit]
  • Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 1. 1671.
    Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 1. 1671.
  • Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 2. 1671.
    Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 2. 1671.
  • Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 4. 1671.
    Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: dedicatory letter from Polwhele to Prince Rupert, page 4. 1671.
  • Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: playscript, page 2. 1671.
    Elizabeth Polwhele. The frolicks: playscript, page 2. 1671.

First production

[edit]

On October 11–12, 2021, second year students of the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia[5] premiered the first confirmed full length production of The Frolicks. The show was produced by the program and directed by Sara Hymes and Gregory Jon Phelps, two members of the Hedgepig Ensemble located in Brooklyn, New York. Hedgepig worked closely with the production's publicity team as the play was selected for Hedgepig's 2021 "Expand the Canon" list.

Cast· Andrew Steven Knight as Rightwit · Rosemary Richards as Clarabell · Kelsey Linberg as Leonora/Philario · Cole Metz as Mr. Zany · Chase D. Fowler as Sir Gregory · Kara Hankard as Plainman/Mistress · Gil Mitchel as Speak · Beth Somerville as Swallow · Kelsey Harrison as Mark · Madison Mayberry as Sir Makelove · George Durfee as Lord Courtall · Kailey Potter as Lady Meanwell · Cameron Taylor as Sir Meanwell · Sam Corey as Ralph · Madison Rudolph as Procreate/Drawer · Ariel Tatum as Faith/Turnkey/Constable

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Janet Todd (1987). "Elizabeth Polwhele". In Janet M. Todd (ed.). A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800. Rowman & Allanheld. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-8476-7125-0.
  2. ^ a b c Milhous, Judith. "Polewheele, E.". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45820. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Brown et al.
  4. ^ Milhous and Hume, eds. 1977.
  5. ^ "News: Hedgepig Ensemble and Partners "Expand the Canon" Again Beginning Sep. 13". 9 September 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.

References

[edit]
  • Brown, Susan, et al. "Elizabeth Polwhele." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Ed. Susan Brown, Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge UP, n.d. 22 Mar. 2013. Accessed 21 Sept. 2022.
  • Milhous, Judith. "Polewheele, E.". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/45820. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Polewhele, Elizabeth. The Frolicks; or, The Lawyer Cheated. 1671. Eds. Judith Milhous and Robert D. Hume. Ithaca, [N.Y.]: Cornell University Press, 1977. ISBN 0801410304 (Open access, Internet Archive)
  • Todd, Janet. "Elizabeth Polwhele." A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Allanheld, 1985, p. 259. (Open access, Internet Archive)
  • Wynne-Davies, Marion. "Polwhele, Elizabeth (?1651-1691) English Restoration dramatist." Dictionary of English Literature, Bloomsbury, 1997.


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