Early Cambridge Theatres
College, University and Town Stages, 1464–1720

This book attempts a reconstruction of early Cambridge theatres, based on the abundant surviving records.

Alan H. Nelson (Author)

9780521431774, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 August 1994

210 pages, 34 b/w illus. 2 maps
24.4 x 17 x 1.3 cm, 0.54 kg

"...this mainly masterful expansion of the REED editorial apparatus offers the history of both early-modern theater architecture and performance." T. A. Pallen, Choice

The excavations of the Rose and the Globe theatres have created a context for the study and reconstruction of the English Renaissance theatre. This book engages with this debate by attempting a reconstruction of early Cambridge theatres in the context of the professional theatres of Renaissance London. Cambridge provides a rich source of material: most of the college halls and chapels in which scaffold-theatres were constructed still stand, while records of the Cambridge theatres and the plays performed in them survive in abundance. The book includes a full survey of some dozen Cambridge colleges, the university's commencement stage, and extra-mural theatrical sites used by travelling professional companies, which lead to useful comparisons with the theatres of London. The author concludes with a plea for greater attention to documentary evidence in reconstructing the English Renaissance theatre.

List of illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Note on sources
1. Introduction: London to Cambridge
2. Queens' College
3. Trinity College from 1605
4. Other colleges
5. The university commencement stage, 1464–1720
6. Secular playing sites
7. Cambridge staging practices
8. Postscript: Cambridge to London
Appendices
Notes
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]