Restoration romp The Country Wife, is in rep with Playhouse Creatures at Playbox Theatre, Warwick, until 29th March

A proper Restoration romp, The Country Wife, is in rep with Playhouse Creatures, a brilliantly insightful portrait of the first female actors on stage. Both are being performed by a company of young adults at the Dream Factory, Warwick, from this weekend. Executive director Stewart McGill gives Herald arts the lowdown.

Why a Restoration Season and why now?

For quite a few years we have thought about staging a Restoration Season. To be honest it was never a genre that overly appealed. Until the proverbial penny dropped, and a fascination evolved. Perhaps ten years ago, and earlier, the dramas of Restoration England were staple fillings in the mixed repertoires of theatres. Of course, RSC had a home for them in the Swan and frequently revived these comedies and tragedies. Now, we seem to have lost the taste for the plays and the wider era. Drama schools no longer teach the techniques and styles, so many young artists will come to these plays through a void.At Playbox Theatre there has always been a detailed focus on Shakespeare and his contemporaries...before the enforced closure of the theatres and the end of Charles I. Silence.We had a fan-base for boy players in the theatre with special commissions and many great works. Unless you believe the tale of Shakespeare In Love there we no actresses to take to the stage. During the interregnum, the future Charles II spend time in France and became intoxicated by the artistic beauty and diversity of the Court. Masque, plays, music, actresses, dance, style, wit and sophistication. Here was Moliere, Racine, Lully and Rameau.As the arts returned after this fairly desolate 19 years, the French culture gradually influenced our theatres and old plays were replaced with new and women took to the stage.It was this new world that fascinated us in the long term planning of our Restoration Season.

What attracted you to the plays?

We rediscovered through April De Angelis Playhouse Creatures that the route to the stage was not easy, but fraught with pain and much exploitation. Mary [King, director of Playhouse Creatures] staged this play in 2004 in our Studio in a memorable and intimate staging, I think that was probably the genesis of this project.What could be gained, we wondered, by pairing Playhouse Creatures with a major Restoration play? The Country Wife by Wycherley contains all the tropes of Restoration comedy: fabulous characters, women in disguise as men, rakes and fops, saucy comedy and a plot that defies explanation. Considered simply too rude, it was banned for many years and its infamous China Scene became notorious.

Tell us about the plays…

Playhouse Creatures reflects the rise of the actresses in London, their fight for recognition as the great Mrs Betterton enters the sunset of her fame. There is little glamour in this world where men control, exploit and invade.The Country Wife is a wild ride of flirtation, saucy humour and cuckolding. An innocent girl from the country, newly married, arrives in glittering London. Can she resist the temptations on offer? No she cannot.

What have been particular challenges?

Covid closure and recovery put our project on the back burner until we believed we had the right mix of actors to tackle the project. We do. The ensemble was created at the end of last year to stage both these works in what we call the Theatre of Memory. We didn’t want to reconstruct the era in detail with accuracy in aspic. We wanted to discover the beating heart of Restoration and create an experience for audiences today.

What does it give them playing them in rep?

The idea is to see both plays, perhaps on one of our Double Days [when both are on]. There is much crossover as the backstage world of the creatures inhabits the avenues and drawing rooms of Wycherley’s London. Our design suggests the memory of a Restoration theatre...Chandeliers flicker above the stage and these figures from the past rise to tell the stories. It’s been fascinating to explore how many of these theatres today have alternative lives. We suggest this.

The costumes are rented from the Bridgerton costumiers, tell us about the era and look of the plays.

There seemed little purpose in taking Restoration drama and relocating to another era. Unlike Shakespeare, these plays are unfamiliar and focus on a very specific set of social conditions. Audiences will be immersed in a lavishly costumed surround: wigs, gowns and at times a fashion catwalk of Restoration London. We even install benches in the pit. Be warned there may be assignations and encounters here.Our actors have entered into the unfamiliar territory with absolute relish. Time has been too short to cover every aspect that we had hoped. Sessions on manners and the wider theatre have been submerged into rehearsals.

What will the audience take from the shows?

Playbox Theatre have certainly built a history for expansive event-style dramas. The Mysteries, Games and Thrones...Shakespeare’s Histories being two of the recent adventures. There is something special about these events. We hope lots of people will view these as a two-part concept. The elements are all presented on our stage: life, love, humour, fashion, style, loss and in the grand tradition of seaside postcards – saucy humour.In our new Puritan era this should cause a blush or two.

Who are some of the heroes of restoration theatre?

We have to admire the pioneers of the Restoration theatre especially the actresses who paved the way for today. Mary Betterton, Nell Gwyn, Elizabeth Farleigh and the father figure of Thomas Betterton.

Will this appeal to Bridgerton fans?

Bridgerton comes later as does School For Scandal, which glittered last year at the RSC. Here we witness the beginnings, and has wide appeal for all.We are thrilled with this project and with the company who have devoted so much thought and energy into fulfilling the long held ambition.Ladies and Gentlemen of the town, welcome.

Playhouse Creatures and The Country Wife are on at the Dream Factory, Playbox Theatre, from tonight (Thursday) and running 29th March. Book tickets at www.playboxtheatre.co.uk