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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · 10d

On Wednesday, the 1612 revival of Henry IV Part Two will follow our last week’s reading of Part One, as the King’s Men find the retiring Shakespeare still looking over their collective shoulders.
#ShakespeareSunday

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · 17d

This week we resume our chronological reading of the plays of the King’s Men: Shakespeare is nearly done with writing, but the company is not done with his plays. So we begin with their 1612 revival of Henry IV Part 1
#ShakespeareSunday

a man with a beard is holding a piece of paper in his hand .

Alt: a man with a beard is holding a piece of paper in his hand; he looks as we imagine Shakespeare might; with his quill he seems to be conducting music

media.tenor.com

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Sep 5

The new season of REP play-readings kicks off with 1 Henry IV at 7.30 p.m. on 24 September, and will feature the King’s Men repertory of 1612-14, including The Duchess of Malfi, Valentinian and several Shakespearean revivals.

- see the full autumn schedule here:
www.readingearlyplays.com

Welcome | Reading Early Plays

Reading Early Plays is a group that meets regularly online to explore drama written before the closure of the London theatres in 1642. We are interested in tracing the connections within groups of pla...

www.readingearlyplays.com

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Aug 29

While our playreading sessions are on summer break our playmakers are wrestling with complex questions such as “How do you retrieve the headless corpse of a relative from a heavily guarded Venetian piazza?”
The answer, of course, involves sailors, friars, devils and The Cunning Florentines.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 24

“The soliloquies were rather ingeniously achieved by allowing the actor to smoke his pipe silently, while a low voice whispered his thoughts.”
- Julius Caesar in modern dress on British television in 1938.

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · Jul 24

OTD in early British television

The evening schedule of Sunday 24 July 1938 was occupied by Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (billed under its full name) given in modern dress under the direction of the invariably innovative Dallas Bower.

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

OTD in early British television: 24 July 1938 - Illuminations

John Wyver writes: The evening schedule of Sunday 24 July 1938 was occupied by Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (billed under its full name) given in modern dress by a strong company under t...

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 13

UPDATED: the trailer for our Playmakers’ newest writing project, now with a title reveal!
(really not #ShakespeareSunday !)

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Reposted by Reading Early Plays (REP)

Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 6

REP’s Playmakers have a new project: a new source, a new story, a new date, a new set of characters to match with a new set of King’s Men actors; eventually, a new play that looks like an old one.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 6

REP’s Playmakers have a new project: a new source, a new story, a new date, a new set of characters to match with a new set of King’s Men actors; eventually, a new play that looks like an old one.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 2

Tonight in REP: an evening of court masques and other incidental King's Men performances (1609-12) with accompanying music & design coming to you via Zoom.

Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jul 1

On British television in July 1939, “Fiat Justitia”, an eclectic anthology of literary scenes on the subject of the law, including Much Ado About Nothing & The Merchant of Venice
#Shakespeare

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · Jul 1

OTD in early British television

Lookers-in on the evening of Saturday 1 July 1939 were treated to a 50-minute anthology of scenes from literature about the law.

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

OTD in early British television: 1 July 1939 - Illuminations

John Wyver writes: Lookers-in on the evening of Saturday 1 July 1939 were treated to a 50-minute anthology of scenes from literature about the law. Compiled by Barbara Nixon and produced by Desmond Da...

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk

Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 27

Merry Devil of Edmonton (& 13 other King’s Men plays) performed at Court between Christmas 1612 & 9th April 1613. It’s probable the play was already in their repertoire, in order to mount it and so many others at once. (Wiggins speculates that perhaps it never fell out of their repertoire).

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 26

Interesting! I’ll dig around a bit tomorrow.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 26

Heminges moonlighting for his friend the Mayor, and working with Thomas Dekker, not a writer he’d had a great deal of contact with via the King’s Men, though they did revive, & perform at court, his and Webster’s Merry Devil of Edmonton in 1612

Prof Tracey Hill @tracelarkhall.bsky.social · Jun 26

1612: Dekker's first mayoral rodeo, under the tutelage of a certain Mr Hemynges (of whom you may have heard 👀). They devised and produced a sea chariot, Neptune's throne, Envy's Castle, and Virtue's throne, inter alia

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 19

A very nice reading of the title character in The Lady of Chabry at #Britgrad2025
Thank you @shakescenery.bsky.social

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 19

At 6.15pm we read a play - if you’re at the Shakespeare Institute for #Britgrad2025 come & read with us.

(* please note: this is not a real Jacobean tragedy, as performed by Shakespeare’s company! We wrote it ourselves, but we do like to think that it’s quite convincing & enjoyable.)

THE
NOBLE LADY
Of Chabry
PRESENTED BEFORE
his Maieste, the Queenes Maiestie, the Prince, Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth their
Highnesses,
in the Banqueting house at White-hall on Wednesday the twentieth day of lanuarie, 1612.
& sundry times Acted,
by his Maieties Seruants, at the Globe, on the banke-side.
③麿
LONDON.
Printed by T. C. for Nathaniel Butter, and are to be sold at his shop in Paul Church-yard at the signe of the Pide Bull neere
St. Austins Gate. 1613.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 19

This evening at @britgrad.bsky.social we read a play - if you’re at the Shakespeare Institute for #Britgrad come & read with us.

(* please note: this is not a real Jacobean tragedy, performed by Shakespeare’s company! We wrote it ourselves, but we do like to think that it is quite convincing.)

Title page of an old play, in old spelling (but written in the last eighteen months):
THE
NOBLE LADY
Of Chabry
PRESENTED BEFORE
his Maieste, the Queenes Maiestie, the Prince, Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth their
Highnesses,
in the Banqueting house at White-hall on Wednesday the twentieth day of lanuarie, 1612.
& sundry times Acted,
by his Maieties Seruants, at the Globe, on the banke-side.
LONDON.
Printed by T. C. for Nathaniel Butter, and are to be sold at his shop in Paul Church-yard at the signe of the Pide Bull neere
St. Austins Gate. 1613.

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Reposted by Reading Early Plays (REP)

Brett Greatley-Hirsch @notwithoutmustard.bsky.social · Jun 18

Of interest to #earlymodern folks -- new research shredding light on the insult on Shakespeare as an "upstart crow" www.leeds.ac.uk/main-index/n...

'Upstart Crow' - who insulted Shakespeare, and why?

New research has cast fresh doubt on the origins of one of the most famous insults aimed at William Shakespeare, pointing the finger at a friend of the Bard.

www.leeds.ac.uk

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Reposted by Reading Early Plays (REP)

Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 10

19th June - REP goes to @britgrad.bsky.social
16.15 - Dr Martin Wiggins & Prof Roberta Barker give a plenary lecture on Casting Early Plays.
18.15 - REP’s Playmakers invite conferencers to join them in reading The Lady of Chabry a play newly cast & created for Shakespeare’s King’s Men company.

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Reposted by Reading Early Plays (REP)

British Graduate Shakespeare Conference @britgrad.bsky.social · Jun 14

We have some incredible workshops lined up for BritGrad 2025, starting with Dr Alex Thom who will be speaking on strategies and timelines for the pursuit of funding ✨

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 11

Tonight in REP we return to Julius Caesar, for its 1613 revival by The King’s Men.

detail from:
The Assassination and Funeral of Julius Caesar, by Apollonio di Giovanni and Marco del Buono Giamberti (15th Century)
- in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 10

19th June - REP goes to @britgrad.bsky.social
16.15 - Dr Martin Wiggins & Prof Roberta Barker give a plenary lecture on Casting Early Plays.
18.15 - REP’s Playmakers invite conferencers to join them in reading The Lady of Chabry a play newly cast & created for Shakespeare’s King’s Men company.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · Jun 4

When reading The Merry Devil of Edmonton for its 1613 revival by The King’s Men this is surely the question one must ask:

Old printed text that reads :
Bil. And do you serve the good Duke of Norfolke still ?

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · May 20

On Wednesday in REP we will read Philaster by Beaumont & Fletcher.
- it is subtitled Love Lies a Bleeding, so we will be investigating any signs of adaptation & influence in later, similarly titled, works (possibly).

Cover of a Penguin book, Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin

Cover of a DVD of the film Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · May 14

Tonight in REP we read a slimmed down version of Ben Jonson’s Alchemist (“two short hours” he said) carefully slicing away up to 25% of the play. What could possibly go wrong? #THALCHMST

Text with some lines blacked out:

THE 'ARGEMENT.
T he Sicknelle hot, A Malter quit, for feare, H is Houfe in Towne : and left one Seruant there.
mow
A Cheater, and his Punque; who now brought low, L cauing their narrow practile, were become C os'ners at large: and, onely wanting fome H oufe to fet vp, with him they here contract,
Much company they draw, and much abufe S elling of Flyes, flat Bawdry, with the Stone:
T ill It, and They, and All in fume are gone.

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Reading Early Plays (REP) @playsrep.bsky.social · May 11

“two [short] hours” - maybe they meant it when they said it.
[prologues by Jonson, (probably) Fletcher & Shakespeare].
- on Wednesday in REP we read a version of Jonson’s Alchemist reduced to something like the running time it claims for itself.
#ShakespeareSunday
#TwoHourJonson ?

Lines clipped from the prologues of three plays: The Alchemist, Henry VIII & Henry V. All three claim the play will last “two [short] hours”

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