The last years of the public theatres were difficult years politically. No one knew that the Civil Wars were coming, (or at least not precisely in the way that they did), but a lot of people knew that trouble was brewing. No one knew that the theatres would be closed and that live performance would become more complicated than before. The closing of the theatres in 1642 wasn’t the end of drama, but it is the end of our run with it. We have to put an end point in somewhere… don’t we? (This page is still a work in progress…) Go back to 1635-37.

1638

The Constant Maid by James Shirley

The Lady’s Trial by John Ford

The Wizard

The Antipodes

The Damoiselle or the New Ordinary

The Passionate Lovers by part 1 and 2

The Siege

The Fair Favourite by William Davenant

The Unfortunate Lovers by William Davenant

Argalus and Parthenia

Wit in a Constable

The Amorous War

The Combat of Love and Friendship

The Bride

The Cid part 2

The Goblins by John Suckling

The Fairy Knight by Thomas Randolph?

The Cyprian Conqueror or The Faithless Relict

1639

The Gentlemen of Venice by James Shirley

The Politician by James Shirley

The Lovesick Court by Richard Brome

A Mad Couple Well Matched by Richard Brome

The Knave in Grain

The Distresses or The Spanish Lovers

Imperiale

The Phoenix in Her Flames

The Noble Stranger

Brennoralt or The Discontented Colonel

1640

The Imposture by James Shirley – returns to London

The Court Beggar

Landgarthia

The Swaggering Damsel

The Strange Discovery

The Queen of Aragon

Sicily and Naples

Christ’s Passionate

The Ghost, or the Woman Wears the Breeches by the Unknown

The Country Captain by James Shirley

The Unfortunate Mother by Thomas Nabbs (unperformed at the time)

Revenge for Honour by George Chapman

1641

Prologue for The Noble Gentlemen – whilst the play largely dates from earlier, this prologue was probably written for the revival in 1641.

A Jovial Crew by Richard Brome

The Variety

The Sophy

Candy Restored

The Walks of Islington and Hogsdon

The Parson’s Wedding

The Virgin Widow

Grobiana’s Nuptials by R Shipman and W Taylor – an interesting comedy. First Look Exploring Session below. Edward’s Boys produced the play in 2016 – a video can be found on their website.

The Brothers by James Shirley

The Distracted State

The Cardinal by James Shirley

The Benefice by Robert Wild – First Look Exploring Sessions available.

Whilst no one knows what is to come in the next year, there is unease and difficulty in the theatrical profession – as witnessed in this complaint of the stage players…

1642

The Sisters by James Shirley – Performed by the King’s Men. First Look Exploring session available.

The Court Secret by James Shirley – unperformed

The Guardian by Abraham Cowley

Time’s Trick Upon the Cards

The Queen of Corsica by Francis Jaques – First Look Exploring Session available – and details of a staging of the close of the play.

Andromana, or The Merchant’s Wife, or, The Fatal and Deserved End of Disloyalty and Ambition by J. S. First Look Exploring Session available.

And that’s (almost) your lot… the theatres are closed in 1642. The following year the actors complain in a pamphlet about the state of their profession.

And a few year later a more formal move is made to end the theatrical profession as we know it.

Of course, it doesn’t work. During the civil wars, up till the official return of theatre in 1660, there’s loads of drama produced. But we have to have an end point somewhere, and the closing of the theatres in 1642 is a neat place to end on. There are some loose ends – plays for which it is unclear precisely when they were written, or which were adapted for the restoration theatre scene – but here we end.

Or do we?

Yes, yes we do.

Honest.