THE PLAY’S THE THING

Entertainment in late medieval and Tudor London came in a variety of forms, including cockfighting, bearbaiting and even public executions. Plays at this time often had a religious theme or a moral at the end – such as the battle between good and evil.

The first introduction most people would have had to plays would have been performances by travelling companies of players. Moving from town to town in carts, these small troupes of actors would put on performances, often in a local inn or by using their cart as a stage. The companies were usually run by the actors themselves, who would invest their own money, but it was a far from lucrative business. The members of the company were responsible for every aspect of their productions, from making the costumes to creating scenery and staging. People