Shakespeare A to Z | Children’s Companies
Children’s companies were groups of boy actors who performed in Elizabethan theaters. During the later years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, these troupes dominated the performance of drama. Although the actors were children, they performed plays written for adults and featuring adult characters.
Usually 8 to 12 boys made up a company. They worked under the direction of a choirmaster who designed pageants, wrote plays, taught the craft of acting to the boys, and arranged for court and public performances. Although the boys received no wages, they seem to have lived comfortably. When...
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