The best actors in the world : Shakespeare and his acting company / David Grote.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Grote, David.

Series:

Contributions in drama and theatre studies ; no. 97.

Contributions in drama and theatre studies, 0163-3821 ; no. 97

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Stage history--To 1625.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Stage history--England.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Friends and associates.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Relations with actors.

Kemp, William, active 1600.

Kemp, William.

Chamberlain's Men (Theater company).

King's Men (Theater company).

Theatrical companies--England--History--16th century.

Theatrical companies.

Theatrical companies--England--History--17th century.

Acting--History--16th century.

Acting.

Acting--History--17th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Shakespeare knew actors because he was one. The first book-length study of its kind, this volume investigates Shakespeare as a member of his acting company, dating and casting all the plays they presented from 1594 to 1614, and exploring the effects of actors on his writing. Much has been written about Shakespeare and a great deal is known about the Elizabethan theater. Yet little has been done to examine Shakespeare in relation to his acting company. This book casts light on Shakespeare's life in drama and the creation and staging of his plays. More precisely than any other work, it establishes the dates for his company's productions, exploring the varied and profound influences actors had on the works of Renaissance dramatists, and giving us a unique look at the man who knew his actors best of all. As a member of the newly organized Chamberlain's Men, a company that rose to fame in the London theater, Shakespeare experienced the numerous crises, both personal and political, that nearly destroyed the company at the construction of the Globe. Grote describes the company's reorganization as the King's Men, which led to the writing of Shakespeare's great tragedies, as well as the trials of the plague years, Shakespeare's retirement from the stage, the development of writers to replace him, and the burning of the Globe.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Introduction xiii

1: Prologue 1

2: From Cross Keys to The Theatre, 1594-97 21

3: The Crisis Years, 1597-98 53

4: The Globe and Kemp's Exit, 1599-1600 77

5: Life Without Kemp, 1600-03 99

6: The King's Men, 1603-06 123

7: Replacing Shakespeare, 1607-10 159

8: Shakespeare Bows Out, 1610-13 191

9: Epilogue 213

Appendix A: Doubling Roles 219

Appendix B: Charts 223

Chart A: Timeline of Productions for Shakespeare's Company 224

Chart B: Probable Casting of Chamberlain's Men Plays 228

Chart C: Probable Casting of King's Men Plays, 1604-08 238

Chart D: Probable Casting of King's Men Plays, 1610-14 246

Chart E: Acting Company Shares 252

Chart F: Globe Partnership Shares 253.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [275]-284) and index.

ISBN:

9798400617621

9786610468805

9781280468803

1280468807

9780313012747

0313012741

OCLC:

52712490