English Court Theatre, 15581642 [Paperback]

A full account of court theatre in the Elizabethan and Stuart periods.Several famous playwrights of the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, including Shakespeare, wrote for open-air public theatres and also for the private, indoor theatres at the palaces at which the Court resided. The author draws as full a picture as he can of the royal theatres used as courts, the physical and aesthetic conditions under which actors worked in them, and the composition and conduct of court audiences. The book includes an appendix which lists all known court performances of plays and masques between 1558 and 1652.Several famous playwrights of the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, including Shakespeare, wrote for open-air public theatres and also for the private, indoor theatres at the palaces at which the Court resided. The author draws as full a picture as he can of the royal theatres used as courts, the physical and aesthetic conditions under which actors worked in them, and the composition and conduct of court audiences. The book includes an appendix which lists all known court performances of plays and masques between 1558 and 1652.Several famous playwrights of the Elizabethan and Stuart periods, including Shakespeare, wrote for open-air public theaters and also for the private, indoor theaters at the palaces at which the Court resided. The author draws as full a picture as he can of the royal theaters used at courts, the physical and aesthetic conditions under which actors worked in them, and the composition and conduct of court audiences. The book includes an appendix that lists all known court performances of plays and masques between 1558 and 1642.List of illustrations and acknowledgements; Preface; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The royal administration; 2. Royal palaces; 3. Royal theatres; 4. Artists and artisans; 5. Royal audiences; 6. Royal occasions; Conclusion; Appendix: performances at court 15581642; Notes; Select bibliography; Index. The first complete survey ol³‚