Theatre and Reformation

Paul Whitfield White argues that, contrary to received wisdom, England's earliest Protestants were involved in drama as patrons, playwrights, performers and spectators. Extending rather than ending the traditional union of religion with dramatic representation, Tudor Protestant leaders in civil and church government recognised drama as a morally sound and profitable pastime and promoted stage playing as a means of winning popular consent for religious reform. From the 1530s, playwrights and players contributed to the formation of a Protestant culture in England. Professor Whitfield White offers detailed readings of plays which are often overlooked, in particular those of John Bale, along with a useful survey of the institutional aspects of theatre: personnel, company structures, patronage, modes of presentation and conditions of performance. This is an interdisciplinary study, of particular value to those studying mediaeval and Renaissance drama and social history.