During the restoration of the English monarchy in the 1600s, women were allowed to act on the English stage for the first time — producing the first famous actresses.
In the University Theatre’s latest production, “Playhouse Creatures,” those actresses come to life.
These women, ranging from well-known performers like comedic actress Nell Gywn, to more obscure actresses, lived during the restoration period, though not necessarily at the same exact time. In the play, playwright April De Angelis took the women and placed them in the same time period and theater, exploring what their lives may have been like, what their personalities were and what their relationships with one another could have been like.
Although the play is set in 1600s, the themes and issues the women deal with still face many women in theater and society today.
“It speaks to a lot of feminist issues,” said assistant director Katy Pelissier, a senior theater arts major.
“Playhouse Creatures” is a rare play for the theater department to perform for many reasons, one being the mostly female cast.
Director Brian Cook, a University doctoral student, chose the play partly because it features six meaty leading roles for women out of the eight roles in the cast.
“By and large theater is, to a degree, dominated by men,” Cook said. “This gives actresses great opportunities in great roles.”
In the play, budding actresses deal with powerful issues such as sexism, getting older, having a career versus having a family, status and more.
Pelissier said the actresses have really bonded with their characters not just by studying from the script, but also from researching their real-life counterparts.
Senior theater major Evylyn Brown, who plays Mrs. Marshall, said her role as a feminist in the play resonates with her.  
“(The playwright) wrote a very rich, wonderful character,” Brown said. “You really get to know yourself and grow.”
The actors and actresses also got ready for their roles by studying their characters’ dialect, movement and the way they dress. The women, for example, had to get familiar with corsets by wearing them to every practice.
Junior journalism major Virginia Rice said the physical work of getting ready for her role as Mrs. Betterton was especially difficult.
Not only do they have to practice wearing costumes weighing 15 to 20 pounds, but they must also work on walking, how they hold their heads, exaggerating their movements and breathing in a corset.
All the work that has been put into the show makes for a truly unique, intimate experience that gives viewers insight into what 17th century life was like for female actresses.
The show is both a mix of comedy and drama, and Jesselyn Parks, a sophomore theater major, is particularly funny in her role as Nell Gwyn. Backstage, Parks is more demure, but on stage she fills the room with her vivacious character, cockney accent and child-like spirit she puts into her character.
“We call each other ‘the creatures,’” Parks said. “We all just feel the show.”
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University Theatre presents “Playhouse Creatures”
April 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 29, 30 at 8 p.m.
April 24 at 2 p.m.
Hope Theatre
$7 students, $12 faculty and staff