A Pastorall is the lesser known Cavendish-Brackley play, estimated to be written in 1645. The sisters were still living together at Welbeck estate and the play demonstrates the importance of this space.

This Lancaster University version of A Pastorall was performed at the Elizabethan manor house, Hoghton Tower, in 2000. Although we no longer have footage of the full performance, many key clips have been preserved. Scroll down to watch these videos and learn more about the play.

Opening

Watch the opening ten minutes of A Pastorall and consider: A notable feature of the play’s manuscript is the sisters’ initials in the margins, indicating who wrote what. Do you think there is a reason why they did this? How does this benefit scholars today when studying the text? Why is location so important to A Pastorall? Consider the characters’ relationships to nature and the estate, and how the production portrays this bond. The original manuscript purposely flagged where songs should be included. What does music add to the play? Compare the women’s attitudes to marriage with those exhibited in The Concealed Fancies. In what ways are they similar? How do you think they reflect the sisters’ own beliefs?