''Ourselves'' is an 1811

comedy play Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...

by the British writer

Marianne Chambers Marianne Chambers (fl. 1799-1811 or 1812) was an English playwright. In 1799 she published a novel, ''He Deceives Himself: A Domestic Tale'' in three volumes, which was favourably reviewed in ''The Gentleman's Magazine'': "in its perusal we have ...

. It premiered at the Lyceum Theatre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 2 March 1811. The Lyceum was at the time hosting the company of 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 ...

while it was rebuilt following damage by an 1809 fire. It was Chambers' second staged work following the successful ''

The School for Friends ''The School for Friends'' is an 1805 comedy play by the British writer Marianne Chambers. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 10 December 1805. The Drury Lane cast featured Robert William Elliston as Lord Belmour, Richard ...

'' in 1805. The cast included

William Dowton William Dowton (1764–1851) was a British actor. Early life Dowton, the son of an innkeeper and grocer at Exeter, was born in that city on 25 April 1764. At an early age he worked with a marble cutter, but in 1780 was articled to an archite ...

as Sir John Rainsford,

Benjamin Wrench Benjamin Wrench (1778–1843), was an actor, born in 1778 in London, where his father occupied ‘a lucrative appointment in the Exchequer.’ He seems to have been grandson of Sir Benjamin Wrench, M.D., of Norwich (d. 1747, aged 82) (see Notes ...

as Sir Sydney Beaufort, Charles Holland as Fitzaubin,

John Henry Johnstone John Henry Johnstone (1749–1828), also known as 'Jack' Johnstone or 'Irish' Johnstone, was an Irish actor, comedian and singer. Life Johnstone was born probably on 1 August 1749, in the horse-barracks in Kilkenny, where his father, a quarter ...

as O'Shanauhan,

Vincent De Camp Vincent De Camp (1777-1839) was a British stage actor. Of Austria background, he was the younger brother of the actress Maria Theresa Kemble. He first appeared at Drury Lane in 1792, and joined the company in 1794. He also appeared regularly at th ...

as Darlington, William Penley as Cuff,

Maria Rebecca Davison Maria Rebecca Davison (1780?–1858) was a British stage actress. She was billed as Miss Duncan in the early years of her career before her marriage. She appeared as a leading performer at the London patent theatres Covent Garden, the Haymarket ...

as Miss Beaufort,

Julia Glover Julia Betterton Glover (8 January 1779 – 16 July 1850) was an Irish-born stage actress well known for her comic roles in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Biography Glover was born Julia Butterton in 1779 or 1781 in Newry, Ireland. In Lo ...

as the Unknown Lady and

Sarah Harlowe Sarah Harlowe (1765–1852) was a popular actress of the London stage around the turn of the 19th century. Biography Harlowe was born in London in 1765. Under the name of Mrs. Harlowe she made her first appearance on the stage at Colnbrook, near ...

as Mrs O'Shanauhan. It was performed sixteen times on its original run.Genest p.215

References

Bibliography

* Genest, John. ''Some Account of the English Stage: From the Restoration in 1660 to 1830, Volume 8''. H.E. Carrington, 1832. * Greene, John C. ''Theatre in Dublin, 1745-1820: A Calendar of Performances, Volume 7''. Lexington Books, 2011. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''A History of Early Nineteenth Century Drama 1800-1850''. Cambridge University Press, 1930. 1811 plays West End plays British plays Comedy plays Plays set in England {{19thC-play-stub