''Jenny Villiers: A Story of the Theatre'' is a short novel by
J. B. Priestley, first published in
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
.
A successful but dispirited playwright is supervising the rehearsals of his new play, ''The Glass Door'', at an old theatre in North England. The actors are irritated by his cynical attitude, but when left alone in the darkened
green room
In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...
he experiences visions of a 19th-century tragedy which alter his outlook on his profession.
In 1978 it was reprinted by
Stein and Day
Stein and Day, Inc. was an American publishing company founded by Sol Stein and his wife Patricia Day in 1962. Stein was both the publisher and the editor-in-chief. The firm was based in New York City, and was in business for 27 years, until cl ...
, in a collection of works by Priestley entitled ''My Three Favorite Novels''. The others were ''
Angel Pavement
''Angel Pavement'' is a novel by J. B. Priestley, published in 1930 after the enormous success of ''The Good Companions'' (1929).
It is a social panorama of the city of London, seen largely through the eyes of the employees of the firm Twigg & ...
'' and ''
Bright Day''.
Main characters
1946
*Martin Cheveril, a 50-year-old playwright
*Pauline Fraser, a 45-year-old actress
*Mr Otley, the manager
*Ann Seward, an aspiring 23-year-old actress
1846
*Jenny Villiers, a 24-year-old actress
*Julian Napier, a young actor
*Walter Kettle, a stagehand
Priestley's play of the same title was performed by the Bristol Old Vic in 1946.
{{JBPriestley
ol
Novels by J. B. Priestley
Novels about writers
Heinemann (publisher) books