English Court Theatre, 1558–1642

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. This book is a full account of such court theatre, and examines the theatrical entertainments for Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. By contrast with the now vanished playhouses of the time, four of the royal chambers used as theatres survive, and the author attempts to draw as full a picture as he can of such places, the physical and aesthetic conditions under which actors worked in them, and the composition and conduct of court audiences. The book includes plans and illustrations of the theatres and an appendix which lists all known court performances of plays and masques between 1558 and 1652.

• Covers neglected area in age of Shakespeare, and is crucial to understanding Shakespeare's professional life: how plays were staged before monarchs in their own palaces and houses
• Places England within European context of court life and art patronage
• An appendix lists all court performances between 1558 and 1652, and should prove a valuable research resource