Playing company
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In Renaissance London, playing company was the usual term for a company of actors. These companies were organized around a group of ten or so shareholders (or 'sharers'), who performed in the plays but were also responsible for management. The sharers employed 'hired men' - that is, the minor actors and the workers behind the scenes. Each company was based at one or two specific theatres in London; for example, William Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men), was based at the Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars Theatre.
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