Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Company designations; London Mayors and Sheriffs; Transcription Practices; Introduction; Part I. From Roman Times to 1410: 1. Roman London; 2. London c.410–1200; 3. London 1200–1410; Part II. From 1410 to 1558: 4. Company hall plays: performance records; 5. Company hall plays: types and performers; 6. Civic theatre and John Lydgate; 7. Land entries; 8. Water shows; 9. The Midsummer Watch; 10. The Lord Mayor's Show; Appendices: Appendix A. Royals and other entries 1400–1558; Appendix B. Selected civic records.

Promotional Information

This book presents a rich picture of civic theatrical life in London, from Roman amphitheatre shows to Tudor pageantry.

About the Author

Anne Lancashire is Professor of English at the University of Toronto. She has edited the texts of John Lyly's Gallathea and Midas, of The Second Maiden's Tragedy (attributed to Thomas Middleton), and of Clifford Leech's Christopher Marlowe: Poet for the Stage, and has published numerous articles and essays, and given many conference papers and public lectures on medieval and early modern theatre and drama.

Reviews

'... a major, eye-opening book about London theatre before Shakespeare, written by the scholar who knows the subject from the ground to the top.' Scott McMillin 'A work of awe-inspiring scholarship covering 1500 years of civic theater in London. [It] will undoubtedly become standard reference material for anyone interested in the field ...This book is a monumental achievement.' Studies in English Literature 'This book should be required reading for all scholars and teachers of drama and theatre, not only because it establishes many of the facts (and corrects many of the fictions) about theatre in London before 1558, but also because it demonstrates the extent to which Medieval theatre in general was a civic activity ...'. English Studies in Canada