Theophilus Keene (1680–1718) was an Anglo-Irish

stage actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and theatre manager. Keene was from a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

background. He originally began acting at the Smock Alley Theatre in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. Having arrived in London from Ireland in 1704, he appeared as part of the company at the Drury Lane Theatre until 1714. Along with Christopher Bullock he took over the management of the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre in 1717, at the time one of two

patent theatre The patent theatres were the theatres that were licensed to perform "spoken drama" after the Restoration of Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660. Other theatres were prohibited from performing such "serious" drama, but ...

s in London. The co-managers worked together for one season after replacing the "broke" John Rich before Keene's death after a fall from a horse while riding in the county. Following his death in 1718 a biography of him ''Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Theophilus Keene'' was produced by Richard Savage.Wanko p.231

Selected roles

* Balance in ''

The Recruiting Officer ''The Recruiting Officer'' is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two English Army officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where ...

'' by

George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes t ...

(1706) * Rodogune in ''

The Royal Convert ''The Royal Convert'' is a 1707 tragedy by the British writer Nicholas Rowe. The play is set in England during the Saxon era featuring two brothers in a love triangle with a young Christian woman. It was staged at the Queen's Theatre in the ...

'' by Nicholas Rowe (1707) * Memnon in '' The Persian Princess'' by Lewis Theobald (1708) * Priscian in '' The Rival Fools'' by

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in ...

(1709) * Claudius in '' Appius and Virginia'' by John Dennis (1709) * De Sale in '' The Successful Pyrate'' by Charles Johnson (1712) * Lucius in ''

Cato, a Tragedy ''Cato, a Tragedy'' is a play written by Joseph Addison in 1712 and first performed on 14 April 1713. It is based on the events of the last days of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (better known as Cato the Younger) (95–46 BC), a Stoic whose de ...

'' by

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

(1713) * Ulysses in '' The Victim'' by Charles Johnson (1714) * Colonel Winfield in '' The Doating Lovers'' by Newburgh Hamilton (1715) * Sebatian in '' The Perfidious Brother'' by Lewis Theobald (1716) * Winwife in '' The Artful Husband'' by William Taverner (1717)

References

Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800: Garrick to Gyngell''. SIU Press, 1978. * Wanko, Cheryl. ''Roles of Authority: Thespian Biography and Celebrity in Eighteenth-century Britain''. Texas Tech University Press, 2003. English male stage actors British male stage actors Irish male stage actors 19th-century Irish male actors 18th-century English male actors 18th-century British male actors 1680 births 1718 deaths {{England-bio-stub