Illuminating the Eighteenth-Century British Stage: Perfecting Performance through Education

<p>Actress studies has become “a truly interdisciplinary field” that “intersect[s] with art, music, literature, history, economics, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and fashion” (Engel 752). While much scholarship has been conducted on the actress’ life, interaction with material culture, public spectacle, authority, femininity, and writings, the role of an actress’ education in her success has yet to be explored adequately or examined beyond biography. My project seeks to examine the educational beginnings of actresses and I assert there are three modes that eighteenth-century actresses often undertook to cultivate their celebrity and success: inheritance, discovery, and trial and error. This project examines the advantages an actress gained through her theatrical education, which participates in the conversation of “thinking about the complexities of actress’ experiences and the variety of strategies they employ to manage their personal and professional lives” (Engel 756).</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Csomay, Bethany

Contributors dc:contributor

• Laura Engel
• Susan Howard
• John Lane

• eighteenth-century actresses
• eighteenth century
• female education
• Charlotte Charke
• Mary Darby Robinson
• Mary Robinson
• Sarah Siddons
• Margaret Woffington
• Peg Woffington
• theatrical dynasty
• inheritance
• discovery
• trial and error
• British theater
• British theatre
• provincial theater
• provincial theatre
• Sybil Rosenfeld
• Acting
• Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Literature in English, British Isles
• Performance Studies
• Theatre and Performance Studies
• Theatre History
• Women's Studies

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1455

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2444