Mary Corbett was an English stage actress of the seventeenth century. She 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 ...

. She appears to have left the company around the time of the merger creating the new

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 ...

.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.486-487 Her name is sometimes written as Mary Corbet.

Selected roles

* Mrs Dainty Fidget in '' The Country Wife'' by

William Wycherley William Wycherley (baptised 8 April 16411 January 1716) was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for the plays ''The Country Wife'' and ''The Plain Dealer''. Early life Wycherley was born at Clive near Shrewsbury, Shropsh ...

(1675) * King Andrew 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 Thomas Duffet (1675) * Melesinda in '' Aureng-zebe'' 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 ...

(1675) * Narcissa in ''

Gloriana ''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Ho ...

'' by Nathaniel Lee (1676) * Clevly in '' The Man of Newmarket'' by Edward Howard (1678) * Monima in ''

Mithridates, King of Pontus ''Mithridates, King of Pontus'' is a 1678 tragedy by the English writer Nathaniel Lee. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London by the King's Company. John Dryden wrote the play's epilogue. The original Drury Lane cast ...

'' by Nathaniel Lee (1678) * Sabina 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) * Gratiana in '' Sir Barnaby Whigg'' by

(1681) * Countess of Nottingham in '' The Unhappy Favourite'' by John Banks (1681)

References

Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800:''. SIU Press, 1982. * Lanier, Henry Wysham. ''The First English Actresses: From the Initial Appearance of Women on the Stage in 1660 Till 1700''. The Players, 1930. * Van Lennep, W. ''The London Stage, 1660–1800: Volume One, 1660–1700''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. 17th-century English people English stage actresses 17th-century English actresses Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{England-stage-actor-stub