Wives as they Were, and Maids as they Are

THIS EVENT HAS TAKEN PLACE

September 8th - September 20th, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds

A couple of years ago, the Society gave one of its research awards to the Director of the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds to aid his research into unearthing plays from the C18th suitable for his restored theatre. The first revival produced was Black Eyed Susan, in September last year, to which we organized a members' outing. This year's production is to be Wives as they Were, and Maids as they Are, by Elizabeth Inchbald.

The play is set in London and follows the life and loves of Miss Maria Dorillion, a young woman still under guardianship. Though intelligent and independent minded, she courts disaster through dangerous flirtation and reckless spending in a city full of predatory bachelors and jealous husbands. 

First performed in 1797 at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, this play is the work of Elizabeth Inchbald - political radical, dramatist, novelist, critic, and actress. Inchbald was a seminal playwright of her age, whose work represents the essence of Georgian drama - a strong sense of social critique in an age of decadence and razor-sharp observational wit.

Born near Bury St Edmunds, Inchbald moved at the age of nineteen from her native Suffolk to London, where she began her career as an actress. She turned to writing later in life and her work is cut through with strong feminist themes and exuberant dialogue.

Elizabeth Inchbald is one of a handful of female playwrights from this period whose work has been largely overlooked, that the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is actively seeking out as part of their process of rediscovering the Georgian and Regency repertoire.

Monday - Saturday at 7.30pm
Matinees September 13th and 20th at 2.30pm
Tickets £7 - £27.50

Related Pages Other Events Index External Links Theatre Royal, Bury

13th September 2008

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