A THEATR MWLDAN | MAPPA MUNDI CO-PRODUCTION 

By  Jeffrey Hatcher

Director Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited London, 1661

The reign of Charles II, the womanising, dashing, Merry Monarch. The age of Pepys and Purcell; the age of wit and satire; the age of debauchery and ribaldry. After decades of Puritan austerity, the playhouses have opened their doors again and crowds flock to see the sensation of the age: an actress of exquisite beauty and charm as well as taste and talent. Her name is Edward Kynaston. At a time when all performers on London’s stages were men, it was Kynaston – ‘Ned’- who reigned supreme as the foremost interpreter of female roles, applauded and lauded onstage and off for his versions of Shakespeare’s tragic heroines.

Nothing can eclipse Ned’s brilliant domination of the stage. Nothing, that is, until a young orange-seller with royal connections also sets her cap on a stage career. For the sake of his ‘pretty, witty’ Nell Gwynne, Charles II, with the stroke of a pen, changes the law to allow women to act, and Kynaston’s world is turned upside-down. Based on a true story, The Compleat Female Stage Beauty is a perfect vehicle for Mappa Mundi’s vibrant, energetic, and irreverent style. Set in the courts, brothels, and theatres of Restoration London, and peopled with well known characters, the play is an insightful exploration of the construction of gender, past and present, as well as a funny and colourful exploration of the rise of the Actress in British history.

Suitable for ages 16 +

ON TOUR 26 SEPTEMBER - 24 NOVEMBER 2013

SEPTEMBER 

26 - 28 Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan

OCTOBER 

2         Coliseum, Aberdare 

3 - 5    Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff

9         Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

10 - 11 Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea

12       The Lyric, Carmarthen

15       Galeri Caernarfon 

16       Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli 

17       Theatr Hafren, Newtown            

18       Aberystwyth Arts Centre  

22       Blackwood Miners Institute 

23       Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl   

24       The Welfare, Ystradgynlais

25 - 26 Borough Theatre, Abergavenny 

29 - 30 Torch Theatre, Milford Haven

NOVEMBER

2             Cornerstone, Didcot                         

13 - 14   Theatre At The Mill, Newtownabbey  

15           Strule Arts Centre, Omagh                    

18 - 19   Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham     

23 - 24   Gulbenkian, Canterbury                      

Supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Arts Council of Wales.