8-4LordChamberlainsMen

Lord Chamberlain’s Men was a theatrical company in London. It was founded by Lord Strange near the end of the 1500’s. He died shortly after the company was formed. The actors found a new patron named Henry Carey. Carey was nicknamed Lord Chamberlain and the group adopted his nickname. In the Carey years, they acted at The Theater and The Curtain. In 1599 they moved to the newly built Globe Theater. By the year 1600, Lord Chamberlain’s Men was the most well known theatrical group in London. In 1603 the company became known as the Kings Men with the accession of King James. Sometimes they had the opportunity to act at court. They were very successful until the theater’s closed in 1642 due to the English civil war.

One of the most difficult times for the company came in it’s early years. In 1597, the main leader and most senior member, James Burbage, died. At this time the company’s lease on The Theater was about to run out. According to the book //Shakespeare: the world as a Stage// by Bill Bryson, in December, 1598, Lord Chamberlain’s Men took down the theater and built it somewhere else. After the name change to the “King’s Men” they continued to play at The Globe. Later they acted at the indoor playhouse at Blackfriars. The company prospered until 1642,when the English civil war began. England decided to close the theaters during the conflict. Sadly at that time the group had to end their reign as London’s top acting crew.

William Shakespeare had an important role in the acting group. It is not known for sure, but most people believe Shakespeare was an original member of the theater group. By 1594 Shakespeare was writing and acting for the company. Shakespeare also helped manage the company. Shakespeare and Lord Chamberlain’s Men performed, the last play that Queen Elizabeth saw before death According to //Shakespeare: the World as a Stage.// It is not certain what the play was. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote some of his plays with parts for specific actors in the company. When the actors were younger they played the younger roles in hid early plays. As they got older, Shakespeare’s characters got older. For 20 years Shakespeare was the company’s leading playwright. He wrote two plays a year for the company. As you see Shakespeare was a major member in the group. Works Cited

Best, Michael. "Lord Chamberlain's men." //Internet Shakespeare//. nov 2005. 14 Apr 2009 . Bryson, Bill. //Shakespeare: world as a Stage//. 1st. New York City: Harper collins, 2007. Picard, Liza. //Elizabeth’s london//. 1st. New York City: St. Martins press, 2003.