Beeston's Boys was the popular and colloquial name of The King and Queen's Young Company, a troupe of boy actors of the Caroline period, active mainly in the years 1637–1642.

Origin

The troupe was formed in early 1637, under a royal warrant, by the theatre manager and impresario

Christopher Beeston Christopher Beeston (c. 1579 – c. 15 October 1638) was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood. Early life Little is kno ...

, during a time of disorder and reorganisation in the theatre profession; the London playhouses had been closed since the summer of 1636 because of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

. The creation of a company of boy actors was a return to a practice of the early 17th century, the era of companies like the

Children of Paul's The Children of Paul's was the name of a troupe of boy actors in Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it a ...

and the

Children of the Chapel The Children of the Chapel are the boys with unbroken voices, choristers, who form part of the Chapel Royal, the body of singers and priests serving the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they were called upon to do so. They were overseen ...

. Those companies, while controversial in their time, had been effective at developing and educating young talent, to the eventual benefit of the adult companies and the theatrical profession as a whole. Beeston's formation of the Young Company was an attempt to recover that training function – as well as to provide effective drama while paying relatively less in actors' salaries. (A similar attempt to form a boy's company had been made eight years previously, in 1629, by

Richard Gunnell Richard Gunnell (fl. 1613 – 1634) was an actor, playwright, and theatre manager in Jacobean and Caroline era London. He is best remembered for his role in the founding of the Salisbury Court Theatre. Actor and playwright Nothing is known of Gu ...

, who built the

Salisbury Court Theatre The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre (structure), theatre in 17th-century London. It was in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishop of Salisbury, Bishops of Salisbury. Salisbury Court was ...

. But it was not a success, because of a long theatre closure due to plague.) The King and Queen's Young Company was onstage in early 1637, and was a hit; they and their reputation quickly entered public consciousness under their popular nickname. Yet the theatrical profession, in a time of plague and looming revolution, remained challenging; when Christopher Beeston died in 1638, his control of acting troupes and theatres (the

Cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

and the

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

) passed to his son and successor

William Beeston William Beeston (1606? – 1682) was an English actor and theatre manager, the son and successor to the more famous Christopher Beeston. Early phase William was brought up in the theatrical world of his father; he became an actor, and also his ...

, who was notably less successful than his father. (This period of crisis would likely have been difficult to navigate, even for a very resourceful individual.) William Beeston inherited the Phoenix theatre from his father and everything that went with it, which included the young company Beeston's Boys. While Beeston had none of the experience that his father had, he still took on the mantle of managing the company since he had "a one-twelfth interest in the King and Queen’s young company"

The owner

Christopher Beeston was a very talented man that "managed five Phoenix companies: Queen Anne's (1617–19), Prince Charles’s (1619–22), Lady Elizabeth’s (1622–5), Henrietta Maria’s (1625–37) and the King and Queen’s Young company". Beeston already had an immense amount of experience in the theatre profession from managing these companies and he also had the copyright to many of the plays performed at the Phoenix, which was very unordinary at the time. Beeston's Boys performed plays including ''Cupid's Revenge'', ''The Knight of the Burning Pestle'' and ''The Court Beggar''. The last play, ''The Court Beggar'', got Beeston's Boys in a severe amount of trouble that resulted in

William Davenant Sir William Davenant (baptised 3 March 1606 – 7 April 1668), also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned b ...

taking over the theatre for an interim time. By possessing such a large repertoire, the Beeston's Boys were able to quickly get up and running and compete with such acting companies like the Queen's Men. William Beeston was then sworn as governor of the company to succeed his father on 5 April 1639 (Bentley 1:330)

Personnel

Beeston's boys were older than the pre-pubescent actors of the previous generation; they tended to be adolescents and young men in their 20s, and included some older Shareholders in the company. The company was one of the first hybrid acting companies of young adults and already established actors. Some veterans from

Queen Henrietta's Men Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era in London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men. Beginnings The company ...

, the previous occupants of Beeston's

Cockpit Theatre The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

, joined the new group: Ezekiel Fenn, a

boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...

experienced in female roles;

Theophilus Bird Theophilus Bird, or Bourne, (1608 – 1663) was a seventeenth-century English actor. Bird began his stage career in the Stuart era of English Renaissance theatre, and ended it in the Restoration period; he was one of the relatively few acto ...

; Robert Axell; John Page; and George Stutfield, who apparently moved from performance to management. These older men were also believed to act as the instructors of the younger members, and the title of "teacher" was not vested entirely in one man. It was instead given to anyone answerable to the authority and who were also shareholders in the company. In 1638,

Nicholas Burt Nicholas Burt (1621 ? — after 1689), or Birt or Burght among other variants, was a prominent English actor of the seventeenth century. In a long career, he was perhaps best known as the first actor to play the role of Othello in the Restora ...

came from the King's Men, and stayed with Beeston's Boys until the theatres closed in 1642. A roster of the troupe from 1639 also lists Robert Cox, Edward Davenport, Edward Gibbes, John Lacy, Samuel Mannery,

Michael Mohun Michael Mohun (1616? – buried 11 October 1684) was a leading English actor both before and after the 1642–60 closing of the theatres. Mohun began his stage career as a boy player filling female roles; he was part of Christopher Beeston's the ...

Robert Shatterell Robert Shatterell (baptized 10 November 1616–1684) was an English actor of the seventeenth century. He was one of the limited group of actors who began their careers in the final period of English Renaissance theatre, and resumed stage work in t ...

, William Trigg, and John Wright. Both Mannery and Wright had played female roles in '' Holland's Leaguer'' in 1631, with

Prince Charles's Men Prince Charles's Men (known as the Duke of York's Men from 1608 to 1612) was a playing company or troupe of actors in Jacobean and Caroline England. The Jacobean era troupe The company was formed in 1608 as the Duke of York's Men, under the titu ...

. Edward Gibbes had been with the

King's Revels Men The King's Revels Men or King's Revels Company was a playing company or troupe of actors in seventeenth-century England. In the confusing theatre nomenclature of that era, it is sometimes called the ''second'' King's Revels Company, to distingui ...

, and was an accomplished fencer. Upon Charles' Death in 1639, his son William took charge. Williams first move, as manager, was to have Richard Brome, a poet and dramatist for the Salisbury Court, secured for seven years as the chief poet for the Cockpit.

The opening

During the long hiatus of theatre due to the bubonic plague, Beeston was planning a new company to inhabit the Phoenix, without the permission of the Lord Chamberlain. The opening performance of Beeston's Boys did get Beeston into trouble; however he received a ratification of the company which was post-dated to after the first performance. This leads scholars to believe that the Lord Chamberlain was stepping in to help the company because of Beeston's favour with the higher ups. The relationship between Lord Chamberlain Pembroke and Christopher Beeston was so close that it greatly advantaged the company. "Now running a company of youths...enjoying the Lord Chamberlain’s direct support, and retaining all the old Queen’s Men’s rich repertoire, Beeston’s position was strong indeed" (Butler 113). Beeston had many orders go in his favor, including one which happened a month after his incident of performing a play illegally. The order was that "no plays must be published without the permission of Beeston as manager of the King and Queen’s young company, or his successors in management".

Controversy

In 1640 Beeston's Boys acted a play that offended King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

personally, by referring to his failure to suppress the Scottish Presbyterians during his recent expedition to the north. (Though the identity of the play is not known with certainty,

Richard Brome Richard Brome ; (c. 1590? – 24 September 1652) was an English dramatist of the Caroline era. Life Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's ''Bartholomew Fair'', ind ...

's ''

The Court Beggar ''The Court Beggar'' is a Caroline era stage play written by Richard Brome. It was first performed by the acting company known as Beeston's Boys at the Cockpit Theatre. It has sometimes been identified as the seditious play, performed at the Coc ...

'' is perhaps the best candidate. The offending passages did not survive into the printed text.) William Beeston was sent to the

Marshalsea The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners, including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition, it became known, ...

prison on 4 May 1640; Sir Henry Herbert, the

Master of the Revels The Master of the Revels was the holder of a position within the English, and later the British, royal household, heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels". The Master of the Revels was an executive officer under the Lord Chamberlain. ...

, gave control of the theatres and their associated actors' companies to Sir

, playwright and manager. During this time Beeston's boys were not nearly as successful due to William Davenant's being busy with other endeavours at the time. Most of his time was possessed by something called "the Army Plot". The Lord Chamberlain did not predict this when he gave the governor position to Davenant, so when Davenant fled the country the Lord Chamberlain was forced to bring William Beeston back. Due to this turn of events, Beeston was released on bail from the prison and reclaimed his position as governor of the Phoenix in 1641. Also in 1640, Beeston's Boys were combined with adult actors to form the King and Queen's Company.

Repertory

Thanks to the decades-long career of their founder, the Beeston's Boys had a rich repertory of stage plays to draw upon, including works by the best playwrights of the Caroline age. In their short heyday, the boys acted: *''

All's Lost by Lust ''All's Lost by Lust'' is a Jacobean tragedy by William Rowley. A "tragedy of remarkable frankness and effectiveness," "crude and fierce," it was written between 1618 and 1620. Publication The play was first published in 1633 (seven years afte ...

'' (

William Rowley William Rowley (c. 1585 – February 1626) was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626 in ...

) *''Argalus and Parthenia'' (

Henry Glapthorne Henry Glapthorne (baptised, 28 July 1610 – c. 1643) was an English dramatist and poet, baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith ''née'' Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward Cok ...

) *'' The Bloody Banquet'' ("T. D.") *''

The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...

'' (

Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and ''The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their polit ...

) *''The Bride'' (

Thomas Nabbes Thomas Nabbes (1605 – buried 6 April 1641) was an English dramatist. He was born in humble circumstances in Worcestershire, was educated at as a King's scholar at the King's School, Worcester (1616–1620), and entered Exeter College, Oxfo ...

) *'' The Changeling'' ( Middleton/Rowley) *''The Cid Part 1'' (

Joseph Rutter Joseph Rutter ( fl. 1635) was an English poet and translator. Life Rutter belonged to the Tribe of Ben, the literary group around Ben Jonson who had received commendatory verse from Jonson. Rutter appears to have lived with Sir Kenelm Digby for ...

) *''

The City Nightcap ''The City Nightcap, or Crede Quod Habes, et Habes'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Robert Davenport. It is one of only three dramatic works by Davenport that survive. Date The play was licensed for performance by Sir ...

'' (

Robert Davenport Robert Davenport may refer to: * Robert Davenport (dramatist) (fl. 1623–1639), English dramatist * Robert Davenport (Australian politician) (1816–1896), pioneer and politician in the Colony of South Australia * Robert Davenport (cricketer) (185 ...

) *'' The Coronation'' (

James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...

) *''

'' (

) *''The Cunning Lovers'' ( Alexander Brome?) *''

The Example ''The Example'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley, first published in 1637. The play has repeatedly been acclaimed both as one of Shirley's best comedies and one of the best works of its generation. And it provides ...

'' (Shirley) *'' A Fair Quarrel'' (Middleton/Rowley) *'' The Grateful Servant'' (Shirley) *''

The Great Duke of Florence ''The Great Duke of Florence'' is an early Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, and first published in 1636. It has been called "one of Massinger's best dramas," and "a masterpiece of dramatic construction." A pla ...

'' (Massinger) *''

A Jovial Crew ''A Jovial Crew, or the Merry Beggars'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Richard Brome. First staged in 1641 or 1642 and first published in 1652, it is generally ranked as one of Brome's best plays, and one of the best comedie ...

'' (Brome) *''

King John and Matilda ''King John and Matilda'' is a Caroline era stage play, a historical tragedy written by Robert Davenport. It was initially published in 1655; the cast list included in the first edition provides valuable information on some of the actors of En ...

'' (Davenport) *''

The Maid of Honour ''The Maid of Honour'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1632. It may be Massinger's earliest extant solo work. Performance Firm data on the play's date of authorship and initial t ...

'' (Massinger) *''

The Maid's Revenge ''The Maid's Revenge'' is an early Caroline era stage the play, the earliest extant tragedy by James Shirley. It was first published in 1639. ''The Maid's Revenge'' was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, o ...

'' (Shirley) *''

A New Way to Pay Old Debts ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'' (c. 1625, printed 1633) is an English Renaissance theatre, English Renaissance drama, the most popular play by Philip Massinger. Its central character, Sir Giles Over-reach, became one of the more popular villains ...

'' (Massinger) *''The Rape of Lucrece'' (

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...

) *''

The Renegado ''The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and first published in 1630. The play has attracted critical attention for its treatment of cultural conflict between Christia ...

'' (Massinger) *'' 'Tis Pity She's a Whore'' (

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

) *'' The Wedding'' (Shirley) *''Wit in a Constable'' (Glapthorne) *''

The Young Admiral ''The Young Admiral'' is a Caroline era tragicomedy written by James Shirley, and first published in 1637. It has often been considered Shirley's best tragicomedy, and one of his best plays. The play was licensed for performance by Sir Henry He ...

'' (Shirley) This repertoire of plays was interesting considering most of the Beeston's Boys plays were placed in the charge of the Cockpit Theatre, and many of these plays also showed up in the repertoire of the Old Queen Henrietta's Company. Suggesting that many of the members of the Beeston's Boys were formerly members of that company, or associated with them in some way. Christopher Beeston had an order passed that placed the repertoire of plays in the charge of the Cockpit Theatre. This strengthened the Beeston Boys ties to the Cockpit Theatre. Making it impossible for them to continue to produce plays if ever asked to leave the cockpit, and ensured them a theatre to perform at.

Aftermath

Beeston's Boys were disbanded along with every other theatre in London when the Coup d'état led by Oliver Cromwell happened. 2 September 1642 was the day that every theatre company was outlawed from performing. There is not much else that is mentioned about Beeston's Boys after this time, but it is suspected that the company continued acting in the 1650s since there is a reference of William Beeston training another group of boys to take the stage. Beeston made repairs to the theatre in 1650 in the hopes that the company could start anew. Even after the London theatres were closed in 1642, William Beeston maintained a long-term commitment to re-establishing the Beeston's Boys company. He made a significant effort in 1650, during the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

. Contrary to popular opinion, all dramatic activity in London did not cease with the 1642 closing of the theatres; there was a notable burst of activity in the late 1640s – players would perform plays for audiences, the London authorities would suppress them, and players would try again, whenever they thought they could get away with it. In the midst of this activity, William Beeston paid for repairs to the Cockpit Theatre and attempted to gather together a group of "apprentices and covenant servants" to train them for the stage.Michael Shapiro, "The Introduction of Actresses in England: Delay or Defensiveness?," in Comensoli and Russell, p. 184. The effort, unfortunately, came to nothing in a new and harsher round of suppression by local authorities. Beeston had better luck at the start of the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, when he was able to recruit a new troupe of Beeston's Boys for a time. They played at the Cockpit and the

in the first few years of the Restoration era.

Notes

References

* Bentley, G. E. ''The Jacobean and Caroline Stage.'' 7 Volumes, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1941–68. * Comensoli, Viviana, and Anne Russell, eds. ''Enacting Gender on the English Renaissance Stage.'' Champaigne, IL, University of Illinois Press, 1998 * Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespearian Plaging Companies'', Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1996. * Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespearean Stage, 1574–1642.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. * Stevenson, Allan H. "James Shirley and the Actors of the First Irish Theatre," ''Modern Philology'', Vol. 40 No. 2 (November 1942), pp. 147–60. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beestons Boys Boy players 1637 establishments in England