Nicholas Fogg - The Tudor Theatre

Mention the golden age of Tudor theatre and we think of Christopher Marlowe, James Burbage, Ben Jonson, and, of course, William Shakespeare.

But there was so much more to an era that marked the birth of professional, purpose-built theatres in England a thriving thespian scene full of personalities and rivalries that was eventually shut down by the Puritans.Shakespeare expert Nicholas Fogg shines new light on this fascinating period in The Tudor Theatre.

And its quite the local production.

Fogg has been Marlboroughs mayor three times and the book features a preface by Sir Simon Russell Beale, our very own LitFest patron.Drawing on contemporary records, Fogg recounts the epic and often tumultuous story of those years, including how Alleyns Admirals Men put on 105 performances in four months in 1594 17 different plays, eight of which were new.As Fogg says, in 1576 a young man could have seen the first performance at James Burbages The Theatre the first space dedicated to drama in England since Roman times and, as an old man, attended the last performance at the Globe 60 years later.

At its heart, Tudor theatre was created by the people for the people and it continues to speak to us today.