The Sleeping Draught

The Sleeping Draught is an English farce in one act by Samson Penley

The original text

Based on a story by Giovanni Boccaccio, it was first performed in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane on 1 April 1818, and published in London by Richard White in the same year.

Performance history in South Africa

1832: Performed by the group called the English Theatricals in Cape Town on 20 September 1823, as afterpiece to Douglas (Home).

1832: Performed by All the World's a Stage in Cape Town on 30 January, along with The Iron Chest, or The Blood-Stained Knife (Colman) and The Lawyer in the Sack, or Jack's Return!!! (a "ballet with dancing").

1833: Performed as The Sleeping Draught, or A Calf to be Killed!!! by All the World's a Stage in Cape Town on 30 March, as afterpiece to Bertram, or The Castle of St. Aldobrand (Maturin).

Sources

Frontispiece to the first edition of The Sleeping Draught (1818), sourced from UKBookWorld.com [1]

http://victorian.nuigalway.ie/modx/index.php?id=128

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel I: 1652-1855. Pretoria: J.H. de Bussy. [2]: pp.197, 222, 225

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays

Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays

Return to PLAYS III: Collections

Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances

Return to South African Festivals and Competitions

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page