The History Of European Theatre

Episode 106: We have the detail about the way a London playhouse functioned thanks, in a large part, to one document.  Theatre owner Philip Henslowe kept a record of many aspects of his enterprise at the Rose theatre from 1591 to 1609.  A large part of the diary comprises of daily records of the takings at the box office, which plays were performed, if they were new or revivals...

Bonus Episode 31 Guest Jacob Bloomfield discusses his book 'Drag: A British History', with particular reference to Arthur Lucan (AKA Old Mother Riley), the drag review shows that came out of both WW1 and WW2 concert parties and the demise of theatre censorship in the UK through the lens of drag performances. Jacob Bloomfield  is Zukunftskolleg Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Konstanz...

Episode 105: The life of Thomas Kyd, including a word on Elizabethan schooling. Thomas Nashe on Kyd. Kyd and the London playwright set. Kyd and Lord Strange. Questions over the first performances of ‘The Spanish Tragedy’. Is ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ a sequel? Cornelia, Kyd’s other surviving play. The Ur-Hamlet and other plays and collaborations. Kyd and Marlowe. The publication of the ‘The Spanish Tr...

Episode 104: Continuing the story of the Elizabethan theatre buildings. The construction of The Globe Master carpenter Peter Street The death of The Globe The Fortune - Henslowe's replacement for The Rose The Whitefriars Theatre The Hope - Henslowe's replacement for his bear garden, almost. The second Globe Playhouse The Globe reimagined. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com...

Episode 103: The story of the next phase of theatre building in Elizabethan London featuring the indoor and outdoor playhouses. The First Blackfriars Theatre The Curtain Philip Henslowe The Rose Francis Langley The Swan The Second Blackfriars Theatre Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party s...

Episode 102: The sources of information on the playing troupes. The Earl of Leicester’s Men – the earliest recorded acting troupe. How troupes operated under the patronage of their master. The royal patent and how it changed the way troupes operated. The sumptuary laws and protections that actors were given. The decline of the Earl of Leicester’s Men. Lord Strange’s Men. The merging of Lord Strang...

Episode 101: How Marlowe’s other plays differ from Tamburlaine and Dr Faustus. The plot of ‘The Jew of Malta’. The depiction of Barabbas the Jew and how it might have been received by the audience. ‘Edward 2nd’ as a history play rather than a tragedy. The theme of homosexuality in Marlowe’s work. The plot of ‘Edward 2nd’. The slow burn of the play adding to it’s subdued nature. The motif of the wh...

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this third and final episode of a short mini-series I look at the printing and selling of the First Folio and the afterlife of some of the copies as they travelled the globe. This includes some history on the greatest collector of First Folios and the creation of t...

Episode 100: Dr Faustus is one of the most influential plays of the Elizabethan period.  Most commentators see this play as Marlowe’s masterpiece, and it is certainly the most performed of his plays through the centuries. The two printed version of the play and how they may have come to be updated. The Plot of ‘The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus’. The source material for the play. Th...

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this second episode of a short mini-series I look at the inspiration and motivations for the First Folio and how it was produced What prompted the creator to produce the First Folio? Ben Johnson’s First Folio John Hemenge – Actor and Administrator Henry Condell – A...

Episode 99: Marlowe’s ‘Tamburlaine the Great’ is a play in two parts, an early example of a writer responding to popular acclaim by giving his audience more of the same, but for all of that mercenary motivation, and the fact that the first part was conceived as a stand-alone piece, they do work well as a conjoined piece. The history of the printed plays and the introduction by the printer Richard...

As my own small contribution to the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first folio of Shakespeare's plays in this first episode of a short mini-series I recount a recent journey to London to see copies of the first folio that are currently on display. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses...

Episode 98: Marlowe as a playwright at the beginning of the greatest period of Elizabethan creativity. A short recap on Marlowe’s university life. Marlowe moves to London. The anonymity and earning power of Elizabethan playwrights. ‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’. Thomas Nashe as co-author of ‘Dido, Queen of Carthage’. Marlowe’s sexual preferences. The Elizabethan attitude to sexuality. Marlowe and reli...

Nick Bromley returns to discuss his book Stage Ghosts and Haunted Theatres. Stories of strange happenings in theatres abound and Nick has collected them together that takes you on a ghostly tour of London's West End and UK regional theatres. Both of Nick's books are available through his website: www. LNPbooks.co.uk Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp w...

Episode 97: Christopher Marlowe was one of the giants of Elizabethan theatre, but he died young in mysterious circumstances. In this episode I try to unpick the mystery of why he died. Was it just an argument about the cost of a meal, or the result of some far more sinister goings-on in the world of Elizabethan espionage and court rivalry? Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.co...

In this special episode I discuss historic and recent audience behaviour in the Theatre and how that behaviour reflects changes in society, with some particular reference to recent events in society and at some theatrical performances. Kirsty Sedgman is a theatre academic at the University of Bristol who specialises in studying audiences. She has spent her career studying how we construct and main...

Episode 96: The life and works of Thomas Nashe Early Life Cambridge University and ‘Terminus et non Terminus’ Nash moves to London and joins the ‘University Wits’ Pamphlets and work for the Archbishop of Canterbury Nashe’s style and pseudonyms Disagreements with the Gabriel brothers Nash’s Dildo Pearse Penniless Summers Last Will and Testament, his only surviving solo-authored play The Unfortunate...

To celebrate Shakespeare's birthday a special episode with guest Colin David Reese, actor, author and performer of 'Shakespeare Unbound', a one man play about the creation of the First Folio Edition of Shakespeare's plays, which was published 400 years ago this year. David spoke to me previously (see bonus episode 'Shakespeare Unbound') about his play and the creation of the first folio and he mak...

Episode 95: The life and plays of some of the lesser known playwrights of the Tudor period. George Gascoigne - his shady life story and his Italian translations into English prose. Robert Greene - how he carved out a professional writers life from an unpromising start, his plays, and that notorious comment about Shakespeare. Thomas Lodge - a prodigious talent who sought out an adventurous life and...

Nick Bromley has had a long career as a Stage Manager and Company Stage Manager and has worked on many UK tours and West End shows. He recently collated his acquired knowledge into a dictionary of theatrical terms, myths and stories called 'Theatre Lore'. He kindly agreed to come and talk to me about his life and career and his book. You can order a copy of 'Theatre Lore' direct from Nick at his w...

Episode 94: Gorboduc the first tragedy in blank verse The lives of the co-authors Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville The plot of the play including the description of the opening dumb show The origins of the Gorboduc story The political message of the play How the play incorporates ideas and style from Seneca, Aristotle, and the medieval traditions The use of allegorical characters The problems wh...

A Bonus episode featuring a sample of the content available to members subscribed to The History Of European Theatre on Patreon. To join up go to: www.patreon.com/thoetp Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast....

Episode 93: The earliest extant plays from the Tudor period include comedies and a historical morality, which give an insight into how theatre developed. A summary of the elements that came together to make Tudor theatre a very special development. Students and Masters become playwrights looking to Seneca Nicolas Udal, schoolmaster and writer of the earliest surviving comedy A summary of Ralph Roi...

There are just a few very well-known names from the theatre of the 18 th  century – Sheridan, Goldsmith, Garrick and some other, less well known.  One playwright you have probably never heard of is John Borgoyne – well not as a playwright anyway. In his biography of Burgoyne ‘From the Battlefield to the Stage’ Professor Norman Poser unpicks the often scarce and conflicting sources a...

Episode 92: Elizabeth’s reign is seen as the golden age of theatre where many great playwrights, and one genius in particular, flourished.  But did that happen because of the freedoms they were granted, or because of the constraints they worked under?   The situation in theatre as Elizabeth ascended to the throne. The revision of the Act of Uniformity. The renewal of the ban on...