author
Colley Cibber
1671–1757
A lively figure of the Restoration and early 18th-century stage, this actor-manager and playwright helped shape English comedy and later became Poet Laureate. He is also remembered for a candid, anecdotal memoir that opens a vivid window onto London theatre life.
3 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in London in 1671, Colley Cibber built his reputation as an actor, playwright, and theatre manager during a busy period in English stage history. His comedy Love’s Last Shift from 1696 is often noted as an early example of sentimental comedy, a style that would remain popular for decades.
Cibber became closely associated with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he wrote plays for performance by his own company and adapted many others. His career was successful but also controversial, and his work drew plenty of criticism from rivals and satirists.
Today, many readers know him not only for his plays but for An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber (1740), a colorful memoir of his life and the world of the theatre. Published long after he had become a public figure, it remains one of the most engaging firsthand accounts of the English stage in his time.