Susanna Centlivre

Who was Susanna Centlivre?

Susanna Centlivre, born Susanna Freeman, also known professionally as Susanna Carroll, was an English poet, actress, and "the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century". During her long career at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, she became known as the Second Woman of the English Stage after Aphra Behn. Many actors and actresses of the 18th and 19th centuries won their fame through their performances of characters in her celebrated plays. Perhaps the best known of these was David Garrick, who chose to end his acting career as Don Felix in The Wonder, a role that had brought him critical acclaim.