The school for scandal :
a comedy /
by Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan,
[1777-1779?]
| Main Creator: | |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Notes: | The neat handwriting is the same throughout, except for Sheridan's name on the title page, which is written in a different hand. The text is written on the front of each page only, with the back being left blank. The script is bound in an original 18th century plain vellum binding. The paper used in the manuscript is dated, by the Heawood watermark, to 1775. The volume has its own case of uncertain date. The identity of the copyist has not been established, but he was probably closely associated with the theatre in Drury Lane, as Sheridan kept strict control of the manuscripts for copyright reasons. Handwritten playscript of 'The School for Scandal'; a fair copy, though with some scribal errors. There are some previously unrecorded variants in the text. The School for Scandal was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. The play was a great hit and made a lot of money for the theatre, of which Sheridan was owner and manager. For many years it was the most performed play in London. The first correct and non-pirated edition of the play was the Dublin edition of 1799. Physical description: 1 volume more |
| Provenance: | The manuscript originated with a family named Thistlethwaite, who are descendants of James William Dodd, the Drury Lane actor who created the role of Sir Benjamin Backbite in this play. |
| Arrangement: | Item |