John Coysh was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. He was a member of the

King's Company The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London, after the London theatre closure had been lifted at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682, when it merged wit ...

, based at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

. He first headed a nursery of young actors at

Hatton Garden Hatton Garden is a street and commercial zone in the Holborn district of the London Borough of Camden, abutting the narrow precinct of Saffron Hill which then abuts the City of London. It takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, a favouri ...

, including the future star

Sarah Cooke Sarah Cooke (died 1688) was an English stage actress of the seventeenth century. She was a member of the King's Company, based at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She played a number of lead roles during the 1680s. Her aunt was the governess to th ...

. He also led a travelling troupe of actors to provincial theatres around Britain. The playwright

Elkanah Settle Elkanah Settle (1 February 1648 – 12 February 1724) was an English poet and playwright. Biography He was born at Dunstable, and entered Trinity College, Oxford, in 1666, but left without taking a degree. His first tragedy, '' Cambyses, King ...

helped produced

droll A droll is a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. With the closure of the theatres, actors were left without any way of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known plays of the Elizabe ...

s for the group to perform. From 1671 he was an established performer at Drury Lane. However his career on the London stage appears to have ended with the creation of the merged

United Company The United Company was a London theatre company formed in 1682 with the merger of the King's Company and the Duke's Company. Both the Duke's and King's Companies suffered poor attendance during the turmoil of the Popish Plot period, 1678&ndas ...

in 1682. Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p. 21

Selected roles

* Muly Labas in ''

The Empress of Morocco ''The Empress of Morocco'' is a 1673 tragedy by the English writer Elkanah Settle. It was originally staged by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The cast included Henry Harris as Muly Labas, William Smith as Muly Hame ...

'' by

(1673) * Mingo in ''

The Spanish Rogue ''The Spanish Rogue'' is a 1673 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Duffet. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the King's Company. The original cast included William Harris as Don Fenise, Edward Lydall as Don Alo ...

'' by

Thomas Duffet Thomas Duffet ( fl. 1673 – 1676), or Duffett, was an Irish playwright and songwriter active in England in the 1670s. He is remembered for his popular songs and his burlesques of the serious plays of John Dryden, Thomas Shadwell, Elkanah Se ...

(1673) * Plautus in ''

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

'' by

Nathaniel Lee Nathaniel Lee (c. 1653 – 6 May 1692) was an England, English dramatist. He was the son of Dr Richard Lee, a Presbyterian clergyman who was rector of Hatfield and held many preferments under the Commonwealth of England, Commonwealth; Dr Lee was ...

(1674) * Riccamare in ''

The Amorous Old Woman ''The Amorous Old Woman; Or, 'Tis Well If It Take'' is a 1674 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Duffet. It was originally staged by the King's Company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. It was part of the tradition of Restoration comedy. ...

'' by

(1674) * Jeffrey in ''

Psyche Debauched ''Psyche Debauched'' is a 1675 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Duffett. It was first staged by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The original cast included Mary Corbett as King Andrew, Mary Knep as Nicholas, Edward Ly ...

'' by

(1675) * Aristander in ''

The Rival Queens ''The Rival Queens, or the Death Of Alexander the Great'' is a Restoration tragedy written by Nathaniel Lee . Regarded as one of his best tragedies, the play revolves around Alexander the Great and his two wives, Roxana and Statira, whose compe ...

'' by

(1677) * Physician in '' Trick for Trick'' by

Thomas D'Urfey Thomas d'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 165326 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera. Life D'Urfey was born in Devonsh ...

(1678) * Sir Robert Malory in ''

The Country Innocence ''The Country Innocence; Or, The Chamber-maid Turn'd Quaker'' is a 1677 comedy play by the English writer John Leanerd. It was originally performed by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. It borrowed very heavily from th ...

'' by

John Leanerd John Leanerd ( fl. 1679) was a British playwright, notorious as a plagiarist. Works Leanerd published: * '' The Country Innocence; or, the Chambermaid turn'd Quaker'', London, a comedy acted at the London Theatre Royal in Lent, 1677, by the youn ...

(1677) * Another Priest in '' All for Love'' by

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

(1677) * Dick Slywit in '' Wits Led by the Nose'' by William Chamberlayne (1677) * Bramble in '' The Rambling Justice'' by

(1678) * Pricknote in '' The Man of Newmarket'' by Edward Howard (1678) * Swif in '' Sir Barnaby Whigg'' by

(1681)

References

Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800: Cabanel to Cory''. SIU Press, 1975. * Van Lennep, W. ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume One, 1660–1700''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. * Wilson, John Harold. ''Court Satires of the Restoration''. Ohio State University Press, 1976. 17th-century English people English male stage actors 17th-century English male actors Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{England-stage-actor-stub