Githa Sowerby

I happened to come upon a newspaper report which suggested there was some sort of sexist conspiracy that means Sowerby was not the household name she should be.

She was acclaimed at the time of writing this, early 1900s, as the first female playright of note. This play came out with her gender disguised and there is an argument, which can't be proven, that it would not have been the big hit it was at the time otherwise. Her gender was quickly made public, but the feminist view is that she would have received bad reviews if not for her anonymity to begin with.

So, 100 years down the line, has there been some sort of plot to 'airbrush her' as one commentator put it, from history?

It's a Guardian report (should that not surprise me?) http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/aug/14/githa-sowerby-playwright-rutherford-... which puts what I think passes these days for a feminist spin...

May I counter with a couple of obvious points. I gather from all reports of its various revivals over recent years, that it isn't much of a play: one of those fixed in its time and the very reasons for it being a contemporary hit contain the seeds for it being uninteresting with the passing of time.

Add to this - and more importantly than the quality of the piece - the sad fact that the Play is astonishingly ephemeral. It might seem to have a solidity lacking in ice sculpture, but in practice that isn't so. I go to see a lot of theatre and this preys upon me, that the many new plays I watch, thrilled by them, will all, or almost all, be completely forgotten for ever in next to no time.

So, around the time of Sowerby, in this case, there were many talented playwrights, almost every one of whom has been completely unknown for most of the period since then and will continue to be. Supposing only one of these was female, the chance of what happens to be the only female being 'airbrushed from history' are enormous. It would have been the most felicitous bucking of the odds for anything else to happen. Playwrights are airbrushed from history all the time. I doubt many of them are more deserving of this fate than Sowerby.

… (plus d'informations)

I happened to come upon a newspaper report which suggested there was some sort of sexist conspiracy that means Sowerby was not the household name she should be.

She was acclaimed at the time of writing this, early 1900s, as the first female playright of note. This play came out with her gender disguised and there is an argument, which can't be proven, that it would not have been the big hit it was at the time otherwise. Her gender was quickly made public, but the feminist view is that she would have received bad reviews if not for her anonymity to begin with.

So, 100 years down the line, has there been some sort of plot to 'airbrush her' as one commentator put it, from history?

It's a Guardian report (should that not surprise me?) http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/aug/14/githa-sowerby-playwright-rutherford-... which puts what I think passes these days for a feminist spin...

May I counter with a couple of obvious points. I gather from all reports of its various revivals over recent years, that it isn't much of a play: one of those fixed in its time and the very reasons for it being a contemporary hit contain the seeds for it being uninteresting with the passing of time.

Add to this - and more importantly than the quality of the piece - the sad fact that the Play is astonishingly ephemeral. It might seem to have a solidity lacking in ice sculpture, but in practice that isn't so. I go to see a lot of theatre and this preys upon me, that the many new plays I watch, thrilled by them, will all, or almost all, be completely forgotten for ever in next to no time.

So, around the time of Sowerby, in this case, there were many talented playwrights, almost every one of whom has been completely unknown for most of the period since then and will continue to be. Supposing only one of these was female, the chance of what happens to be the only female being 'airbrushed from history' are enormous. It would have been the most felicitous bucking of the odds for anything else to happen. Playwrights are airbrushed from history all the time. I doubt many of them are more deserving of this fate than Sowerby.

… (plus d'informations)

I happened to come upon a newspaper report which suggested there was some sort of sexist conspiracy that means Sowerby was not the household name she should be.

She was acclaimed at the time of writing this, early 1900s, as the first female playright of note. This play came out with her gender disguised and there is an argument, which can't be proven, that it would not have been the big hit it was at the time otherwise. Her gender was quickly made public, but the feminist view is that she would have received bad reviews if not for her anonymity to begin with.

So, 100 years down the line, has there been some sort of plot to 'airbrush her' as one commentator put it, from history?

It's a Guardian report (should that not surprise me?) http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/aug/14/githa-sowerby-playwright-rutherford-... which puts what I think passes these days for a feminist spin...

May I counter with a couple of obvious points. I gather from all reports of its various revivals over recent years, that it isn't much of a play: one of those fixed in its time and the very reasons for it being a contemporary hit contain the seeds for it being uninteresting with the passing of time.

Add to this - and more importantly than the quality of the piece - the sad fact that the Play is astonishingly ephemeral. It might seem to have a solidity lacking in ice sculpture, but in practice that isn't so. I go to see a lot of theatre and this preys upon me, that the many new plays I watch, thrilled by them, will all, or almost all, be completely forgotten for ever in next to no time.

So, around the time of Sowerby, in this case, there were many talented playwrights, almost every one of whom has been completely unknown for most of the period since then and will continue to be. Supposing only one of these was female, the chance of what happens to be the only female being 'airbrushed from history' are enormous. It would have been the most felicitous bucking of the odds for anything else to happen. Playwrights are airbrushed from history all the time. I doubt many of them are more deserving of this fate than Sowerby.

… (plus d'informations)