The Children of the King's Revels, although a failure in Jacobean commercial theater, represents a legitimate entry into both commerce and theater. Begun probably in 1607, the company evolved through a series of syndicates, changing and adding shareholders as events forced increased investment instead of offering a return on monies already invested. By 1609, when the King's Revels dissolved, at least eight men had joined the attempt to profit from a new boys' company, acting in a district new to theater and bearing the name of a still new monarch. The reasons for the company's failure are complex, a combination of plague bills, royal anger, and weak plays. However, the venture at Whitefriars shows an awareness of conditions in commercial theater of the time. In addition, the attempt reveals the specific ambitions of the various shareholders, many of whom hoped the King's Revels would further artistic as well as monetary aims. Despite its failure, then, the King's Revels reflects the milieu in which the company hoped to compete The seven extant plays in the repertory of the King's Revels show an attempt to compete not just with the Queen's Revels, the rival boys' company, but also with the men's companies. To that end, the plays offer the satire associated with the boys' tradition, although they direct that satire more towards the monstrous than towards the everyday. Furthermore, several plays borrow heavily from situations more common to plays of the public theaters and attempt to incorporate those situations into drama appropriate to the social setting of private theaters Although the King's Revels failed, the company attempted to offer a repertory and management that later companies would find profitable and to establish a playhouse in a district that eventually would be more than hospitable to theater. In some respects, then, the King's Revels was ahead of its time. However, it also joined too late the tradition of boys' companies. The venture at Whitefriars therefore indicates not just the failure of one company, but also the eventual demise of a tradition / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_26856 |
| Date | January 1986 |
| Contributors | Young, Debra Brown (Author) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds