Expert: Arlene Schulman - 3/30/2009

Question
Hi, I have to do a school report and I would be very grateful for your help on some questions. Any that you can answer would be great. Okay, so.
1.Describe the repertory nature of an acting company during Shakespeare's time.
2.Approximately how many professional actors lived near London during Elizabethan times?
3.Was there a favorite company during Shakespeare's time and which one was it?
4.What were the most popular plays of the period? What genre were they (tragedy, comedy, musical, etc.)
5.What was an actor's schedule in a typical season?
6.Why was Shakespeare a force to e reckoned with?
Thank you so much for your answers. The sooner you can get around to answer them, though, the better. Thanks again!

Answer
Hi Torri,

Some of these questions are pretty much impossible to answer; others require some guesswork based on our knowledge of the period but without specific references.  And some have had some documentation.  I'll try to answer what I can as best as I can.

1.Describe the repertory nature of an acting company during Shakespeare's time.

We believe that Shakespeare's acting company and others of his time performed different shows daily.  They performed not only in their own theatre (Shakespeare performed primarily at the Globe Theatre and later at Blackfriars Theatre), but also at Court and in the great houses and on tours throughout the countryside (often during the summers when the theatres were closed).  In the city the apprentices and other audience members often came daily, or at least frequently to see their shows, so they couldn't keep performing the same play over and over.  It is thought that no play was offered two days in a row, and they often added to their repertory with new plays that they learned with only a few rehearsals.  

2.Approximately how many professional actors lived near London during Elizabethan times?

There's no way to know that, any more than it might be possible to guess how many actors live in NYC at any one time.  There were a number of different acting companies, each having their own membership of steady actors.  Along with those were apprentices working their way up in the companies learning the trade, and other actors who were hired for particular roles when they needed more than the company's membership for any particular play.  My guess might be something around 100 or more, but that would be just a guess.  And that doesn't include the boys from the Children's Acting companies that were popular at the time.

3.Was there a favorite company during Shakespeare's time and which one was it?

I imagine that at various times there were a number of different companies that were popular at one time or another.  Shakespeare's own company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was certainly one of the most popular in his heyday, often performing at court.  In fact, when Queen Elizabeth died and King James I succeeded her to the throne, he took over their sponsorship and they became known as The King's Men.

4.What were the most popular plays of the period? What genre were they (tragedy, comedy, musical, etc.)

It depends when you are talking about. Shakespeare was writing over a period of over twenty years and two monarchs, and many playwrights and plays were popular over that time.  Certainly Shakespeare's plays were very popular through most of the time he was writing.  He wrote comedies, tragedies and histories, and plays from all these catagories had their popularity at various times.

5.What was an actor's schedule in a typical season?

Again, this is only a guess.  And it depends what you mean by "schedule."  Actors normally performed during the day in the outdoor theatres such as the Globe.  They would likely rehearse in the morning and perform in the afternoons.  They might perform in the evening at court, or in the indoor playhouses such as Blackfriars.  The acting companies performed in the London playhouses during the good weather of spring, fall and part of the summer, and might perform at court all year.  Often in summer when the plague came to London, the theatres and other gathering places would be closed, and the actors would go "on the road" to tour the countryside, playing at innyards, town halls, and country houses.

6.Why was Shakespeare a force to e reckoned with?

That's a question you'll have to answer for yourself.  Everyone has their own idea of the answer to that question.  Actually, his plays became far more well known and his reputation more renown after the Restoration than they were in his own time as people began to recognize the genius, lasting power, and universality of his work.  Why do you think he was a force to be reckoned with?

Best,
Arlene (MsDirector)