This is the first collection of essays to examine the extraordinary contribution of women playwrights, actors, translators, critics and managers who worked in British theater during the romantic period. Focusing on women well known during their day but neglected for some 150 years, the volume provides a crucial new perspective that revises historical narratives and reflects the rapidly changing terrain of scholarship in the complex field of romantic theater and drama. Eleven specially-commissioned essays by leading scholars explore the role of Elizabeth Inchbald, Joanna Baillie, Sarah Siddons and numerous others.