In 1642 civil war broke out in England and theatres were closed to prevent public disorder. The theatres remained closed for 18 years, causing considerable hardship to
professional theatre performers, managers and writers. Illegal performances were only sporadic and many public theatres were demolished.
The Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell opposed
theatrical performances and were at loggerheads with
King Charles I who promoted theatre at his
court. In 1632 William Prynne had lost his ear for
denouncing dancing as a ‘Devil’s Mass’ and women actors as ‘notorious
whores’ in
his book Histriomastix. This was seen
as a personal attack on Queen Henrietta
Maria who loved the theatre and often performed in
masques.
However, Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans were less censorious about musical entertainment and tolerated occasional small scale masques as the unavoidable trappings of
government.
In 1656, William Davenant succeeded in producing The Siege of Rhodes in his home in an all sung version. He staged it with moveable scenery arranged in perspective, which
was to prove highly influential.
Early Theatre in Britain
The Globe
