Arden, Warwickshire prominent in the area for centuries. Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare, was a member. Shakespeare's play "As You Like It" is set in the Forest of Arden, however it is an imaginary version incorporating elements from the Ardennes forest in Thomas Lodge's prose romance "Rosalynde" and the real forest (both as it was then, subjected to deforestation and enclosure, and the romanticized version of his youth). Towns in the area include Hampton-in-Arden, Henley-in-Arden, and Tanworth-in-Arden. The Countryside Commission considered creating a new national forest in the area in 1989, but the proposal was not taken up. A national forest
Mary Chase (playwright) Mary Chase (playwright) Mary Coyle Chase (born Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle; 25 February 1906 – 20 October 1981) was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the Broadway play "Harvey", later adapted for film starring James Stewart. She wrote fourteen plays, two children's novels, and one screenplay, and worked seven years at the "Rocky Mountain News" as a journalist. Three of her plays were made into Hollywood films: "Sorority House" (1939), "Harvey" (1950), and "Bernardine" (1957). Born Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle in Denver, Colorado in 1906, Chase remained in Denver her entire life. She grew up