PDF Getting Into the Act: Women Playwrights in London 1776-1829 (Gender in Performance) by Ellen Donkin in Arts-Photography

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Getting Into the Act is a vigorous and refreshing account of seven female playwrights who; against all odds; enjoyed professional success in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Ellen Donkin relates fascinating; disturbing tales about the male theatre managers to whom they were indebted; and the trials and prejudices they endured; ranging from accusations of plagiarism to sexual harassment. This scarred turbulent early history still resonates in the late twentieth-century. The current ratio of female to male playwrights is virtually unchanged. Old patterns of male control persist; and playwriting continues to be a hazardous occupation for women. But within these scarred earlier histories there are equally powerful narratives of self-revelation; endurance; and professional triumph that may point to a new way forward. Getting Into the Act is entertaining and informative reading for anyone; from scholar to general reader; who is interested in the history and gender politics of the stage.