The family of Colley Cibber is a fertile ground for any author. Apart from his own outrageous story, the equally unbelievable history of his son, Theophilus, and his two marriages could keep me writing for years (and probably will!) - but more about Theo at a later date.
Just about everything I learned about Cibber's daughter, Charlotte, came from the research and writing of Kathryn Shevelow. Kathryn is a professor at the University of California, specialising in eighteenth-century British literature and culture.
It was her book, entitled 'Charlotte: The True Story of Scandal and Spectacle in Georgian London', that inspired me to write my full-length play 'Travesti', as well as to feature Charlotte, and her wayward husband, Richard Charke, in the novel, 'Scartato'.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting an accessible and fascinating way into the world of the theatre in the first half of the eighteenth century, and in particular, into the life of this truly original actress.
Thank you, Kathryn.