Inez Bensusan, an Australian and English playwright, actress, and suffragist, was born on September 11, 1871. She wrote and acted in many feminist plays and was active in multiple activist groups, often combining theater and feminism for a political cause.

Born in Sydney, Australia, to a wealthy Jewish family, Bensusan had a passion for acting at a young age; in childhood she often staged recitals and performances for her friends and community. She attended the University of Sydney, eventually joining her family in their move to England in 1894. Upon her arrival, Bensusan joined a traveling theater troupe and performed in plays in multiple countries.

Bensusan was a suffragist and a feminist and was active in multiple social activist groups in England. She joined the Women’s Social & Political Union and went on to help found the Actresses’ Franchise League. The League’s goal was to sell suffrage literature and stage feminist plays in order to empower women through education regarding the larger suffragist movement. Bensusan acted as head of the League’s play department by writing, collecting, and publishing feminist theatrical works. Her first play, The Apple, was performed as part of a protest in 1911. Bensusan was also on the leadership committee for the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. 

In 1913, Bensusan formed her own theater troupe composed entirely of women. Its initial success was disrupted by the outbreak of World War I; the troupe eventually went overseas to support the war effort by providing entertainment for soldiers abroad. Upon her return, Benusan co-founded the House of Arts in Chiswick.

Throughout her life, Bensusan acted in over fifty plays and two films, The Grit of a Jew in 1917 and Adam Bede the following year. She wrote multiple plays with feminist themes and overtly political messaging and theses. The combination of artistic and political work was a lens through which Bensusan viewed both her theater and activism alike. Inez Bensusan died on October 10, 1967, at the age of 96.

Sources:

“Authors: Inez Bensusan.” Aurora Metro & Supernova Books. https://www.aurorametro.com/team/inez-bensusan/.

“Inez Bensusan.” Spartacus Educational. Modified September 2022. https://spartacus-educational.com/Wbensusan.htm.

“Inez Bensusan.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inez_Bensusan.

Riley, Margot. “Miss Inez Bensusan.” Curio at the State Library of New South Wales. https://www2.sl.nsw.gov.au/archive/curio/exhibit/1379/stories88dd.html?from_collection=2&page=7