Aphra Behn’s play, once considered too ‘shocking’ for audiences, has been performed for the first time since 1671

A play by Aphra Behn exploring themes of gender, sexuality and patriarchy, once considered too radical for audiences, will be performed for the first time in 350 years.

There is only one known production of Behn’s play. The Prince in Love or the Curious Husband in 1671, after which he remained absent from the scene for hundreds of years.

Bravely tackling controversial themes such as gender, sexuality and coercive control, the play also marked the first time a woman played a “panty role”, meaning an actress was allowed to dress as a man on stage.

As the play was presented as a comedy, many contemporaries felt that the controversial themes were not to be joked about and it fell into obscurity. But now, 353 years later, the Canterbury Players are bringing it back to the forefront.

“At the time the film was written, it was set in a time when the country was very divided,” said director Natalie Cox, referring to the aftermath of the Civil War of 1642.

“The play tackles such amusing themes as aristocracy and patriarchy. It pushes the boundaries of gender, sexuality and social status in a way that was radical and shocking for the time.”

Aphra Behn herself led an eventful life, being the first female writer in England to write under her own name. Just as interesting as her literary career, she was also employed as a spy in Antwerp after being noticed by King Charles II.

She became a writer later in life, after separating from her husband, and gained a reputation for her witty and political pieces.

His first piece, Forced marriage, was staged in 1670 and generated popular demand for its sequel, The Prince in Loveonly five months later.

The story is composed of two main plots. One is that of the lovelorn prince, Frederik, who believes he has the right to have sex with any woman who catches his eye – including his best friend’s sister and fiancée, whom he threatens to rape.

The other plot of The Curious Husband, Antonio, involves a man who sets a trap for his beautiful wife whom he believes to be unfaithful. However, he is foiled by female characters who overhear his plan and devise a counter-plot.

The legal ban on actresses playing the “breeches role” had only existed a year earlier, in 1660, making Behn’s inclusion controversial – and perhaps contributing to it never being performed again.

Not having any reference to previous productions was an “exciting challenge” for the Canterbury Players, with Ms Cox explaining that they chose to take risks to modernise the play.

“It can be quite daunting because there’s an empty stage and we weren’t sure what we were going to put on it,” she said. “There’s no YouTube or previous National Theatre performances to come up with ideas. It’s a really exciting challenge and a great opportunity to make history.”

Instead of setting the play in a traditional Shakespearean city like Florence, the group chose to set the scene in a modern city to emphasize the relevance of the play’s themes in today’s society.

Ms Cox added: “We took some risks in the way we modernised it. We put it forward to emphasise the relevance of the themes and we didn’t do it in the spirit of Aphra Behn.

“Sexuality, coercive control, toxic masculinity and illusions about queer identity are pervasive in the project and we tried to eliminate them.”

The play is being presented as part of a larger project on Behn’s life and work at the university. Tickets for all three performances this week have already sold out.