We’re slowly filling in the gaps of the early years of the first Stuart monarch, but we’re getting there. It gets super patchy from 1608, but every little helps… Go back to 1600 to 1603.

The Queen is dead, long live the King. Here’s the proclamation of his taking the throne.

1603

Narcissus, A Twelfth Night Merriment. Super silly show, we recommend. Not that we play favourites.

The Tragedy of Hoffman, or a Revenger for a Father by Henry Chettle – First & Second Look Exploring sessions available, jump to the Second Look here. A semi-staged reading for the Malone Society is available here.

The Fairy Pastoral, or Chase by William Percy – First Look Exploring Session available.

Antipoe by Francis Verney – we would love to say that this is a text we’re doing anything on at the moment, but we can’t get a copy… so… one day…

A Woman Killed With Kindness by Thomas Heywood – First Look Exploring Session available.

The Tragedy of Darius by William Alexander – later published as part of his Monarchick Tragedies, this the first play as written, though you might want to start with Croesus, which comes nearly on top of this text.

Sejanus by Ben Jonson – First Look Exploring Session available.

The Phoenix by Thomas Middleton – First Look Exploring Session available.

The First Part of Jeronimo (printed 1605) – this is a reasonable date for the play, but opinions vary so it pops up all over the place. Parts of it might survive from a much earlier version of the play. But might not. See, The Spanish Tragedy all the way back in 1587.

The Dutch Courtesan by John Marston – First Look Exploring Session available

1604

Royal Entry for King James – featuring pageants by Thomas Dekker and Ben Jonson, there was a lot of material to sift through in the exploring sessions, including a first hand account – you can find them in our Civic and Royal Pageantry playlist.

The Honest Whore (part 1) by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker

Westward Ho! by Thomas Dekker and John Webster – All the Ho! plays can be seen here. First Look Exploring session available.

The Fair Maid of Bristol – or Bristow. Is this a spoof, or just very short? You decide. First Look Exploring Session available

Law Tricks, or Who Would Have Thought It by John Day – First Look Exploring Session available.

The Wit of a Woman by the Unknown – this is a confused text, as the author/s have clearly changed their mind about where the plot is going, and – more importantly – precisely who different characters are and how they are related. Which means the text HAS to be adjusted in some fashion to make sense. See our Exploring Sessions to share our collective confusion.

May Day by George Chapman – First Look Exploring Sessions available.

Bussy D’Ambois by George Chapman – First Look Exploring Sessions available.

When You See Me, You Know Me by Samuel Rowley – First Look Exploring Session available.

Philotas by Samuel Daniel – First Look Exploring Session available.

The London Prodigal by the Unknown – Performed by the King’s Men, printed in 1605. First Look Exploring Session available.

All Fools by George Chapman

The Malcontent by John Marston – First Look Exploring Session available

If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody (parts 1 & 2) by Thomas Heywood – these are two very different plays. The first part otherwise is called The Troubles of Queen Elizabeth, and is all about Elizabeth, while the second play which is more properly called If You Know Not Me and is about London life. During the life of these two plays the overall title stuck to both plays which sort of function as a two parter, but part two isn’t really interested in following much of the action of part one. Lot’s of good stuff, but needs attention… First Look available.

Croesus by William Alexander – First Look Exploring Session available

1605

The Queen’s Arcadia by Samuel Daniel – First Look Exploring Session available.

Eastward Ho! by George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John Marston – All the Ho! plays can be seen here. First Look Exploring session available.

Nobody and Somebody by the Unknown – First Look Exploring Session available.

If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody p 2 by Thomas Heywood – see 1604 above or watch the first video here.

The Widow’s Tears by George Chapman

The Honest Whore (part 2) by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker

Claudius Tiberius Nero, Rome’s Greatest Tyrant by the Unknown – Printed 1607. The part of the name to latch onto is Tiberius, if you want to know which emperor it thinks is the tyrant. First Look Exploring Session available.

A Trick to Catch the Old One by Thomas Middleton – First Look Exploring Session available.

Monsieur D’Olive by George Chapman

Caesar’s Revenge or, Caesar and Pompey – a University Play, not the play of the same name by George Chapman – First Look Exploring Session available.

A Mad, Mad World My Masters by Thomas Middleton

Michaelmas Term by Thomas Middleton – First Look Exploring sessions available.

Northward Ho! by Thomas Dekker and John Webster – All the Ho! plays can be seen here. First Look Exploring Session available.

The Fawn, or Parasitaster by John Marston – First Look Exploring Session available, as well as a run at the Epilogue.

A Yorkshire Tragedy by Thomas Middleton, and possibly others. Who knows. It’s not very long. Trigger Warning for this exploration – it’s a dark play about domestic abuse and murder.

1605 Lord Mayor’s Show: The Triumphs of Reunited Britannia by Anthony Munday – more to come, see below.

c.1605 The Wonder of Women or The Tragedy of Sophonisba by John Marston – exploring session of this dark and strange play is available.

1606

The Isle of Gulls by John Day

Volpone by Ben Jonson – First Look Exploring Sessions available.

The Fleer by Edward Sharpham

The Whore of Babylon by Thomas Dekker

The Birth of Hercules by the Unknown – First Look Exploring sessions available.

The Woman Hater by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher

The Puritan Widow by Thomas Middleton

The Revenger’s Tragedy, attributed to Thomas Middleton – First Look Exploring session available. Online recordings of the play by other companies also exist online.

Royal Entry for the King of Denmark – the kings brother in law came for a visit, there was a lot of material to sift through in the exploring sessions – you can find them in our Civic and Royal Pageantry playlist.

1607

Cupid’s Whirligig by Edward Sharpham

The Miseries of Enforced Marriage by George Wilkins

The Alexandrian Tragedy by William Alexander – First Look Exploring Session available.

Julius Caesar by William Alexander – things are about to get a tad stabby, in the last of Sir William’s closet dramas on themes of monarchic control, or lack thereof. Closet Drama playlist. Roman History playlist.

The Rape of Lucrece by Thomas Heywood

The Two Maids of Moreclacke by Robert Armin

The Devil’s Charter by Barnabe Barnes – First Look Exploring Session available.

Ram Alley by Lording Barry

The Travels of Three English Brothers by George Wilkins, John Day and William Rowley – First Look Exploring Session available

The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont – First Look Exploring Session available

Every Woman in Her Humour by Lewis Machin

Humour out of Breath by John Day

The Family of Love by Lording Barry – recording of the prologue available.

Fortune by Land and Sea by Thomas Heywood and William Rowley – Exploring Sessions available.

The Turk by John Mason

The Dumb Knight by Gervase Markham and Lewis Machin

Your Five Gallants by Thomas Middleton

Cupid’s Revenge by Francis Beaumont

We’re slowly edging towards completing our timeline up to 1607 – it gets really patchy round here from 1608 onwards. But we’re working on it. 1608 and onwards…