ABSTRACT
When Richard Brinsley Sheridan assumed the management of Drury Lane in 1776, a ripple of anxiety went through the playwriting community. What kind of treatment could playwrights expect from this new administration? There were disheartening reports of endless delays on submitted manuscripts. The unofficial consensus was that Sheridan was indifferent to all new drama except his own. That was bad news for everyone interested in having work produced. But for women, there was an additional anxiety. The paternal protection of women playwrights which had been Garrick's trademark at Drury Lane was now no longer a given. Would the protection and fostering of women's work continue under this new manager?
