APPEARANCE OF WOMEN ON THE ENGLISH STAGE
It will be remembered that great indignation was aroused among the English by the appearance of French actresses in 1629. London must have learned to accept this innovation, however, for in one of the semi-private entertainments given during the Protectorate at Rutland House, the actress Mrs. Coleman took the principal part. The Siege of Rhodes, a huge spectacle designed by Davenant in 1656 (arranged in part with a view of evading the restrictions against theatrical plays) is generally noted as marking the entrance of women upon the English stage. It is also remembered for its use of movable machinery, which was something of an innovation. The panorama of The Siege offered five changes of scene, presenting "the fleet of Solyman the Magnificent, his army, the Island of Rhodes, and the varieties attending the siege of the city."
A brief look at the politics of the time click here.
* Until Charles II took the throne theaters in Englad had been closed since 1642.
*After the Restoration in 1660, women were allowed to take the stage as actresses.
**Mary Saunderson Betterton, was the first woman to act in Shakespeare's plays, most notably she played Lady Macbeth along side her husband.
* (Read Macbeth online here)*
**An Interesting list of people in theater during the restoration period.
There is somewhat of a debate over who was the first female actress in Britain; it was either Margaret Hughes or Ann Marshall.
A theater during the Restoration Period
Photo: Nik Milner
