Elizabeth Polwheele
Elizabeth Polewhele | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1651 |
| Died | c. 1691 |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Language | English |
| Notable work | The Frolicks, or, The Lawyer Cheated (1671) |
| Spouse | Stephen Lobb |
| Relatives | Theophilus Polwhele (father?) |
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Elizabeth Polewhele (or Polewheele; 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
Little is know of Polwhele's life, though she has been tentatively identified as the daughter of nonconformist minister Theophilus Polwhele.[2] This 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]
There are records of Polwhele'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 Frolicks was performed at the Duke's Theatre in 1671 (see Dorset Garden Theatre); it features Clarabell, a witty Restoration heroine, and Rightwit, a rake. The Faythfull Virgins may also have been performed.
Along with Katherine Philips and Frances Boothby, Polwhele was one of the first women to write for the professional stage in the early Restoration period.
Plays
- Elysium (lost)
- The Faythfull Virgins (ca. 1670; manuscript)
- The Frolicks; or, The Lawyer Cheated (1671)
The Frolicks, or The Lawyer Cheated
On October 11–12, 2021, second year students of the Shakespeare and Performance program at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia[4] premiered the first full length production of The Frolicks. The show was produced by the program and was 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.)
- ^ a b Brown et al.
- ^ "News: Hedgepig Ensemble and Partners "Expand the Canon" Again Beginning Sep. 13". Retrieved 14 October 2021.
References
- 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.
- 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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