Casting Shakespeare's plays

Invaluable source material for professional theatre directors and for students of English dramatic literature is provided by this detailed examination of playhouse procedures from Shakespeare's own acting company. In careful analysis, T. J. King reveals how the size and composition of the casts of characters for Shakespeare's plays were determined by common theatrical practices at London playhouses between 1590, about the time Shakespeare began his work as a playwright, and 1642, when the theatres were closed by order of Parliament. Although recent scholarship has chronicled the history of the Globe and other contemporary playhouses, there has been little systematic investigation of casting for Shakespeare's repertory company. To close the gap, Professor King studies eight manuscripts from performances at important Elizabethan playhouses, fifteen pre-Restoration plays that identify the men and boys who play principal roles, and authoritative texts of all thirty-eight plays usually ascribed to Shakespeare. From this evidence,we can now answer questions about the number of men and boys required as actors, which actors played male roles and which played female roles, and how much time was allowed for costume changes when actors doubled roles. Furthermore, several manuscript playbooks of the period show that playhouse attendants such as stage-keepers and gatherers of admission money often played minor roles and served as mute supernumeraries. The volume contains numerous illustrations of playhouse documents as well as tables listing actors, plays and roles for easy cross-reference and practical guides for production. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of Shakespeare studies and theatre history as well as to directors and actors.