-The Lady’s Monthly Museum, June 1812
Kelly would continue acting until 1835. In 1833, she established a drama school at the Royal Strant Theatre, which is now the oldest drama school, on record, in England. She was able to save the income from the school and her performances, being very popular and a high earner, to open her own school for young women to the tune of 20,000 GBP in 1830.
The school was initially named Miss Kelly’s Theatre, and was completed in 1837. She had been convinced by a friend, who was an engineer, to install some new machinery to move the stage and scenery. This would be a fatal mistake, ultimately leading to delays for opening and the theater having to be demolished and rebuilt. When it reopened in 1841, she fell ill and subsequently lost her entire fortune and found herself evicted.
The Royalty would continue on throughout the Victorian era into 1938, and Mrs. Charles Selby’s acting school would pop up during the 1860s.
In her prime, Fanny Kelly was a successful entrepreneur with talent and business acumen who fell victim to trusting in other’s visions. She never married, but did suffer from a stalker in the 1810s, who actually fired a pistol during one of her performances.
