This Element offers an in-depth reinterpretation of Philip Henslowe's records of new plays, develops a novel account of how theatre companies copied and adapted plays in one another's repertories, and reconstructs an early modern cluster of Hieronimo plays that also allows us to reimagine Ben Jonson's career as an actor.
Holger Syme offers a new perspective on the significance of theatre in Shakespeare's era, viewing early modern England as a culture of mediation. He challenges the notion of a crisis of representation, using archival research and close readings of plays by Jonson and Shakespeare to explore how testimony shaped access to truth on stage.
Material Practices and Conditions of Playing
The collection features innovative essays that explore the theatrical and economic contexts of the Queen's Men, an influential acting company in early modern England. It includes a repertory study and examines the company's unique style, challenging traditional narratives of Elizabethan theatre history. By highlighting the Queen's Men as a crucial link between medieval drama and the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe, the essays provide a fresh perspective on their significance in the evolution of English theatre.