During the last quarter of the eighteenth century in London there was a remarkable surge in the number of produced plays written by women. Ellen Donkin explores the careers of seven such women playwrights. This tiny cohort created a formidable pressure and presence in the profession, in spite of contemporary obstacles. However, it is disturbing to discover that women today still make up only about 10 percent of the playwriting profession. Donkin argues that old patterns of male approval and control over women's drama have persisted into the late twentieth century, with undermining results. But she also believes that by paying close attention to these histories, we can identify the insidious repetitions of the past in order to break through them, and imagine a fuller and more resolute presence for women in the profession.