Acting Companies In Elizabethan Theatre

Acting companies have been around almost as long as theatre itself. The first of the professional stage companies recorded were back in the 1560s. They were mostly used for their comedic trade. They can be seen as part of tribal rituals all the way to Broadway musicals making their way across countries. There are many forms of acting companies. There are companies that meet once a year or they can travel around countries for long periods of time. There are also many different skill sets needed to be a part of these companies. Stage companies are a large part of the theatre culture and community. Acting companies became prominent during the Elizabethan Era in London. Families that were able to have a household players group in their homes

There are many different forms of acting companies in this culture. Amateur acting companies come together annually. These companies perform different rituals, traditions, or sacrifices in the local temple. They also are used to celebrate national events and holidays (Brown, 460). Another type of company is called itinerant bands. These are troupes of professionals that travel, just like Elizabethan era troupes, throughout their linguistic region for a whole year only pausing their journey for monsoon season for safety reasons (Brown, 460). There also seems to be a custom expected if an itinerant band comes to a village. This village is expected to give them their evening meal, usually offered to them by the headman of the village. After they have eaten, they will nap and then unpack and begin preparing for their performance (Brown, 460-461). This itinerant band also needs to obtain skill sets that have been seen in Elizabethan actors. These actors needed to have a broad repertoire of performances and they needed to adapt quickly. The actors were only told about an hour before they performed the type of performance the village wanted to see. This rushed them to come up with a plot, memorize, and rehearse with whatever time was left before the performance (Brown, 461). They would then move onto the next village in India and do this all over

There are many touring companies in the United States today. One traveling company is an educational company. The Bright Star Touring Theatre has a repertoire of around one thousand educational performances to young audience members over a variety of cities throughout the country. This group focuses mainly on bringing literature to life for their audiences (Wright, 2015). The Bright Star Touring Theatre’s actors must hold the same professional qualities that have been travelling through the centuries and continents. They must be able to perform multiple productions at a time due to the number of shows in their repertoire and they must be able to adapt quickly depending on the crowd, city, and situations that may arise, illness or recasting if need be. Another touring company is the National Players. This is the longest running tour group in the United States to date. It was created from a Catholic university and is now stationed in Maryland. Their mission is to “present classical plays in surprising accessible ways” (Wright, 2015). Their 2015 and 2016 season will be touring Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and A Tale of Two Cities (National Players). These are only a few of the many touring companies and acting companies in the United States this