18th Century Women of Theatre

The 18th Century not only saw the continued rise and influence of women as actresses but also as playwrights.  With the further colonizing of the Americas, several theatre companies crossed the Atlantic in search of new opportunities.  Two 18th Century major companies in America were the Murray/Kean Company and the Douglas’s.  For the most part, they brought actress with them, but slowly American women of theatre were drawn to the boards.  In Germany, the Sturm and Drang movement was sweeping Eastern Europe, exemplified by such playwrights as Faust and Schiller. Caroline Neuber was one of the first successful German actresses who helped to transform the German theatre and opened the Leipzig theater.  The Ackermanns comprised one of the first of a successful multi-generational acting family. In 18th Century France, the neoclassical tradition continued with the plays of Molier and Racine, affording French actresses with some of the most enduring roles.  The Dangville family had a long tradition on the French stage. French women of theatre are sometimes difficult to identify since it was common to refer to them by their first name proceeded by the appropriate title.