Clemence Dane, A Bill of Divorcement

Louise McDonald (Newman University)

Ed. by Kerry Myler, Newman University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Newman University), Louise McDonald (Newman University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1921

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

Clemence Dane (1888-1964) was a significant dramatist in her time but her work subsequently suffered at the hands of mid to late twentieth century academic opinion, which held that inter-war women playwrights merited little literary or cultural importance. With a run of four hundred and nine shows, her first play, Bill of Divorcement, produced by Basil Dean’s Reandean Company, and starring Meg Albansi, opened on 4^th March 1921 at the St. Martin’s Theatre in the West End and was her biggest hit. Indeed, it was a triumph. One commentator described how it “sent a critical first night audience into ecstasies of enthusiasm and ended with the most vociferous call for the author that has been heard in an …

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3372 words

Citation: McDonald, Louise. "A Bill of Divorcement". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 October 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39194, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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