King's Men (playing company)

• 1. Royal Patronage And Formation

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  On the 19th of May 1603, a royal patent authorized the King's Men company. The document named nine players in specific order: Lawrence Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Augustine Phillips, John Heminges, Henry Condell, William Sly, Robert Armin, and Richard Cowley. These men became Grooms of the Chamber under the new reign of James I. On the 15th of March 1604, each of these nine received four and a half yards of red cloth for the coronation procession. This transition marked a shift from their previous identity as the Lord Chamberlain's Men during Queen Elizabeth I's rule. The workload increased dramatically in their first winter season between December 1603 and February 1604. They performed eight times at Court and eleven times in their second winter from November 1604 through February 1605. Seven plays by Shakespeare and two by Ben Jonson filled this schedule. This represented double the typical workload seen under Elizabeth. The company expanded its sharers to ten, then eleven, then twelve members. New additions included John Lowin, Alexander Cooke, and Nicholas Tooley.

• 2. Theatrical Venues And Economics

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  From July to December 1608, theatres closed due to plague. The King's Men toured the countryside and reached Coventry in late October. In August 1608, they organized Blackfriars Theatre into a partnership. Five shares went to Shakespeare, Burbage, Heminges, Condell, and Sly. Sly died soon after, splitting his share among the remaining six. Cuthbert Burbage and Thomas Evans managed the non-actor side of the arrangement. Blackfriars allowed year-round performances unlike the Globe which depended on clement weather. The hall held perhaps six hundred spectators maximum. This compared to the Globe's capacity of 2500 to 3000 people. Ticket prices at Blackfriars ranged from sixpence to two shillings sixpence. Globe tickets cost between one penny and sixpence. The cheapest Blackfriars seat equaled the most expensive Globe ticket. The most expensive Blackfriars seat cost five times more than its Globe counterpart. Adding Blackfriars should have doubled their public performance income. When the Globe burned down in 1613, the company could afford rebuilding costs of £1400. They replaced the thatch roof with tile. Their second theatre meant they did not lose all playscripts or costumes like the Admiral's/Palsgrave's Men during the Fortune Theatre fire of December 1621.

• 3. Plague Years And Court Performances

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  May 1605 brought the death of Augustine Phillips. His will left legacies to Shakespeare, Burbage, and eight other members plus two apprentices. He also gave £5 to hired men of the company. Special payments were made to the King's Men during plague years including 1603, 1608, 1609, and 1610. In 1609, nine plays were still performed at Court despite travel restrictions. The company toured Oxford in August 1610 and received payment from Municipal Authorities there. A letter by Henry Jackson dated September 1610 describes performances of Ben Jonson's The Alchemist and Desdemona in Othello. Between October 1611 and April 1612, the King's Men performed twenty-two plays at Court. This included The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. On Sunday 12 and Monday the 13th of January 1612, they joined Queen Anne's Men for court performances of Thomas Heywood's plays. During the winter of 1612, 13, they gave twenty performances celebrating Princess Elizabeth's marriage. They played Cardenio again on the 8th of June 1613 before the ambassador from Savoy. The winter of 1614, 15 saw only eight Court appearances, half their previous workload. By 1615, 16, they returned to fourteen Court performances.

• 4. Key Personnel And Cast Changes

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  In 1611, John Heminges stuttered during productions, possibly marking his last stage work. He continued managing financial affairs after leaving the stage. Richard Robinson substituted for Armin in some roles. Alexander Cooke and William Ostler both died between October 1611 and April 1612. Their places as sharers were taken by William Ecclestone and Robert Benfield. Ostler's widow sued her father-in-law John Heminges for control of theatre shares in 1615 but lost. Richard Burbage died on the 13th of March 1619. Joseph Taylor transferred from Prince Charles's Men to replace him. Taylor played Hamlet and other great Shakespeare/Burbage roles. In May 1619, Lord Chamberlain William Herbert wrote about missing Burbage so soon after his loss. Nathaniel Field died at age thirty-three in 1620. His place was taken by John Rice. Henry Condell died in December 1627, leaving shares to family. Robert Gough died in 1624. Richard Sharpe also died that year. Eliard Swanston joined from Lady Elizabeth's Men around 1624. He played Othello and Richard III through 1642. Stephen Hammerton became a boy player in 1632. Richard Perkins terminated his brief period with the company in 1625 to lead Queen Henrietta's Men.

• 5. Playwrights And Repertory Evolution

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  Nathan Field joined the company in 1616 and wrote plays including The Knight of Malta with Fletcher and Massinger. Cast lists show Field himself, Burbage, Underwood, Lowin, and others in productions between 1616 and 1619. Field may have played Bussy D'Ambois in George Chapman's play during this era. After Shakespeare's death on the 23rd of April 1616, Fletcher and collaborators filled the leading playwright role. Philip Massinger gained prominence in the 1630s. James Shirley was recruited as house dramatist after Massinger's death in 1640. The company staged Shirley's The Cardinal in 1641 and The Sisters in Spring 1642. In the later 1630s, they produced courtier-written works like William Cartwright's The Royal Slave and Sir John Suckling's Aglaura. These were subsidized by lavish costumes from Queen Henrietta Maria's circle. Their repertory narrowed to fewer new plays mainly these courtly works. Economic situation worsened as sharers dropped from fifteen in 1625 to nine by 1636. Around 1640, five new actors joined: William Allen, Theophilus Bird, Michael Bowyer, Hugh Clark, and William Robbins. All were veterans of Queen Henrietta's Men.

• 6. Censorship And Political Conflicts

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  In 1624, the King's Men gave a sensational production of Middleton's A Game at Chess running nine days straight from 6, the 16th of August. They got prosecuted and fined by the Privy Council for this performance. In December 1624, they faced trouble again for performing Massinger's The Spanish Viceroy without Master of the Revels license. On the 19th of October 1633, Sir Henry Herbert forbade The Woman's Prize due to foul content. The company acted The Scornful Lady instead. On the 21st of October, Herbert addressed Edward Knight about oaths and profaneness in their plays. John Lowin and Eliard Swanston apologized on the 24th of October. After this incident, old play texts required re-examination by Herbert for new productions. This meant more fees paid to him. Opposition from Blackfriars neighbors peaked around 1630. An 1631 commission investigated buying out property but concluded investment was £2900 13s. 4d. The King's Men countered with an itemized account valuing total investment at £21,990. Their interest in the theatre was never bought out. In February 1648 and January 1649, players were arrested during performances.

• 7. Civil War Closure And Aftermath

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  On the 2nd of September 1642, Parliament ordered all theatres closed as Puritans gained control. Theatres remained officially closed until Restoration in 1660. In 1646, the King's Men received back-pay owed for pre-1642 performances. Clandestine activity occurred in 1647 when ten actors signed dedication in Beaumont and Fletcher folio. These included Robert Benfield, Theophilus Bird, Hugh Clark, Stephen Hammerton, John Lowin, Thomas Pollard, Richard Robinson, Joseph Taylor, Eliard Swanston, and William Allen. Seven of these men signed a sharer contract on the 28th of January 1648 showing reactivation attempts. This iteration collapsed in July 1648 after failing to make payment. Another revival attempt followed winter 1648, 49 with younger actors including Walter Clun and Charles Hart. They signed a contract on the 27th of December 1648 with financier Walter Conway. This effort also failed producing litigation into 1661. By 1660 few old players remained and traditions largely lost. Female roles soon performed by women rather than boys. Open-air playhouses disappeared replaced by elite indoor theatres. A new King's Company established had little in common with predecessor except royal patronage.