Arbuscula ( lat, Arbuscŭla; d. between 54 and 35 BCE) was a woman stage performer of

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. She was a celebrated actor in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s during the 1st century BCE, when most of the female parts at the time were played by men at least in tragedy.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

speaks of her in 54 BC as having been very successful, and having given him great pleasure.

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

mentions her as having been hissed and booed at by an audience, though it is said she did not care that the common people booed her, and remarked, "It is enough the knights still applaud me."

References

Cicero 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century BC actors Ancient actresses 1st-century BC Roman women Ancient Roman actors Ancient Roman theatre practitioners {{AncientRome-bio-stub