The children of Paul's : the story of a theatre company, 1553-1608 / Reavley Gair.

Between 1553 and 1608 St Paul's Cathedral housed one of the earliest London theatre companies, a commercially successful playhouse whose actors were drawn from the choirboys under the direction of their choir master. These were the Children of Paul's. Professor Gair has researched extensively into primary source documents to produce a thorough account of the theatre's origins, location, structure, repertoire and audience. As such this book represents the most detailed description to date of the workings of an Elizabethan commercial theatre. This book provides a fascinating background to our reading of Elizabethan drama as well as the technical history of a theatre company and a particular area of Elizabethan London. As such it will interest social historians as well as students of the Renaissance and Shakespeare.