George Powell (playwright) facts for kids

George Powell (born around 1668, died 1714) was a famous London actor and writer of plays in the late 1600s and early 1700s. He was part of a group called the United Company. His father, Martin Powell, was also a well-known actor.

George Powell: Playwright and Actor

Writing Plays for the Stage

George Powell wrote many plays, but he was sometimes known for taking ideas from other writers. For example, he wrote a play called The Imposture Defeated; or, A Trick to Cheat the Devil in 1697. People later realized that he had copied parts of it from a play by Mary Pix called The Deceiver Deceived, which had not yet been published. A theatre critic named Charles Gildon said that Powell's version was not as good as Mary Pix's original.

Powell also wrote several other plays on his own. These include:

• The Treacherous Brothers (first shown in January 1690)
• Alphonso, King of Naples (first shown in December 1690)
• A Very Good Wife (first shown in April 1693)
• Bonduca: or, The British Heroine (1695)

All of these plays first opened at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Powell also worked with another writer, John Verbruggen, to create an opera called Brutus of Alba: or, Augusta's Triumph. This opera was first performed in 1696 at Dorset Garden in London. All the plays and operas George Powell wrote or helped write were tragedies, which are plays with sad endings.

Acting Career

George Powell was also an actor. He was married to an actress named Mary Powell. He performed in many plays during his time.

Selected Acting Roles

Here are some of the roles George Powell played:

• Jack Rakish in Woman's Wit by Colley Cibber (1697)
• A role in Tamerlane by Nicholas Rowe (1701)