The Duke's Theatre vs. The King's Theatre
After the reinstitution of the English monarchy, theatre had to find its way back into the heart of the country. The 18-year hiatus meant times had changed and new concepts had to be introduced to make entertainment fresh again. Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant both received patents from Charles II, which made them the first men to officially produce theatre after the Interregnum.
In 1661, the Duke's Company opened by the hand of Sir William Davenant and the blessing of the newly restored king. It was so named because its patron was the king's brother, the Duke of York. Davenant was involved in most aspects of the company. He acted as director, producer, and playwright spending a lot of his energy adapting the works of his godfather (or possibly father) William Shakespeare. The theatre, converted from an old tennis court, was shaped in the newly innovated style of Inigo Jones. Before his work in the early 17th century, theatres were without proscenium arches or elaborate scenery. The Duke’s Company opened in 1660 with an original production of Hamlet emphasizing the scenic elements and starring one Thomas Betterton. In general, the Duke's Company had younger actors and was more interested in making art than money. They owned exclusive rights to produce the following Shakespeare plays: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Henry VIII, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
An engraving of a set at the Duke's Theatre
In 1661, the Duke's Company opened by the hand of Sir William Davenant and the blessing of the newly restored king. It was so named because its patron was the king's brother, the Duke of York. Davenant was involved in most aspects of the company. He acted as director, producer, and playwright spending a lot of his energy adapting the works of his godfather (or possibly father) William Shakespeare. The theatre, converted from an old tennis court, was shaped in the newly innovated style of Inigo Jones. Before his work in the early 17th century, theatres were without proscenium arches or elaborate scenery. The Duke’s Company opened in 1660 with an original production of Hamlet emphasizing the scenic elements and starring one Thomas Betterton. In general, the Duke's Company had younger actors and was more interested in making art than money. They owned exclusive rights to produce the following Shakespeare plays: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Henry VIII, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
An engraving of a set at the Duke's Theatre
Killigrew was far less interested in art than Davenant. Theatre brought him money, and despite Davenant’s fancier playing space, Killigrew made bigger profits. Expanding his company to women brought the support of the king and the support of theatregoers (as in Stage Beauty, Killigrew was the first to make this leap). Thanks to the patronage of the king, Killigrew was able to secure older, more experienced actors (it is theorized that he hired women because he had no young boys in his company to play their roles). Kynaston actually worked for Killigrew, not Davenant, in the early 1660s, and he had a share in the company by 1661. Killigrew had exclusive rights to twenty of Shakespeare's plays, but during the time the company was in existence (1660-1682), they produced only four: Othello, Henry IV Part I, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Julius Caesar.
A side view of the stage at Killigrew's theatre
A side view of the stage at Killigrew's theatre
Restoration theatre companies revived plays often and new productions were staged frequently. As with Kynaston in the role of Desdemona, actors typically were cast in roles until they were no longer fit to perform them. Since actors were bound to the company for whom they played, these roles were always expected to be presentable if revived. Parts were written especially for particular actors, based on popularity and type: Betterton originated over 130 roles.
The acting style of the time differed between tragedy and comedy. Tragedy relied much more on depicting the "passions" (for more information, click here and jump to page 42); whereas comedy played in a way that was much more natural. As with many aspects of the new theatre, acting styles were largely influenced by the lavish masques that were performed in palaces before the interregnum. Stage Beauty focuses on Kynaston and Betterton as male leaders in the acting world and they were widely considered to be the among the best at what they did. This period of change, however, did bring some remarkable contemporaries. Jimmy Noakes, for example, who is mentioned briefly in the script, is considered to be the first gay actor to make a living acting as a woman. He was second to Kynaston in being the last to conform to King Charles II's new laws.
[Sources: A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964 by F. E. Halliday; The History of World Theater: From the English Restoration to the Present by Felicia Hardison Londré & Margot Berthold; The First English Actresses: Women and Drama, 1660-1700 by Elizabeth Howe; Sir William Davenant in Encyclopedia Britannica; 17th Century Theatre from the V&A Museum; The Killigrew & Davenant Patents from British History Online]
The acting style of the time differed between tragedy and comedy. Tragedy relied much more on depicting the "passions" (for more information, click here and jump to page 42); whereas comedy played in a way that was much more natural. As with many aspects of the new theatre, acting styles were largely influenced by the lavish masques that were performed in palaces before the interregnum. Stage Beauty focuses on Kynaston and Betterton as male leaders in the acting world and they were widely considered to be the among the best at what they did. This period of change, however, did bring some remarkable contemporaries. Jimmy Noakes, for example, who is mentioned briefly in the script, is considered to be the first gay actor to make a living acting as a woman. He was second to Kynaston in being the last to conform to King Charles II's new laws.
[Sources: A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964 by F. E. Halliday; The History of World Theater: From the English Restoration to the Present by Felicia Hardison Londré & Margot Berthold; The First English Actresses: Women and Drama, 1660-1700 by Elizabeth Howe; Sir William Davenant in Encyclopedia Britannica; 17th Century Theatre from the V&A Museum; The Killigrew & Davenant Patents from British History Online]