Lord Chamberlain's Men
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The Lord Chamberlain's Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for as actor and playwright throughout most of his career. It was founded during the reign of Queen Elizabeth in 1594, under the patronage of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, the then Lord Chamberlain, who was in charge of court entertainments. After its patron's death in 1596, the company came under the patronage of his son, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, for whom it was briefly known as Lord Hunsdon's Men until he in turn became Lord Chamberlain in 1597, whereupon it reverted to its previous name. The company became the King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.
The company was the most successful in London. It was originally based at The Theatre northeast of the city, until a dispute over renewal of its ground lease prompted the players to remove the structure south of the Thames and reconstruct it as the Globe Theatre. Later it also acquired the indoor Blackfriars theatre, which became its winter playing venue.
The lead actor of the Chamberlain's Men was Richard Burbage, who played Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth, among many other roles. The company's "clown" was Will Kempe until 1599, when he was replaced by Robert Armin. Kempe is credited with originating roles such as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, while Armin is thought to have originated the roles of Feste in Twelfth Night and The Fool in King Lear. Other members of the company included John Heminges and Henry Condell, most famous as the editors who collected Shakespeare's plays for the First Folio.
The Folio's list of the names of the principal actors in Shakespeare's plays provides a fairly comprehensive roster of the members of the Chamberlain's Men/King's Men throughout its history, up to the time of the Folio's publication. The roster names: William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, William Kempe, Thomas Pope, George Bryan, Henry Condell, William Slye, Richard Cowly, John Lowin, Samuel Crosse, Alexander Cooke, Samuel Gilburne, Robert Armin, William Ostler, Nathaniel Field, John Underwood, Nicholas Tooley, William Ecclestone, Joseph Taylor, Robert Benfield, Robert Goughe, Richard Robinson, John Shank, and John Rice.
The modern company
In recent years, the name has been resurrected in the form of a British touring theatre company, fronted by artistic director Mark Puddle. Under his guidance, the contemporary Lord Chamberlain's Men company aims to revive the traditions of Shakespearean theatre, performing with an all-male cast and historically acurate costumes, props and make-up.
External links
The Lord Chamberlain's Men Theatre Company Official Site[link]
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