Welcome back!

Tomorrow will see the return of Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog!

This blog is attempting to capture the day-by-day life of an Elizabethan theatre by recounting the performances at the Rose playhouse by Lord Strange's Men, as recorded in Philip Henslowe's diary.

Aldgate, one of the gateways
into London, from the Agas
Map (1561)

The blog fell silent on 23 June because on that day in 1592 the theatres of London were closed to prevent the spread of plague. Since then, in 2016, the summer has come and gone, an academic term has begun and ended, and a memorable U.S. election has occurred. Back in 1592,  Lord Strange's Men have been touring their plays around the towns of England, and have probably become increasingly grumpy as the cold weather set in. But on 27 December, the company will perform to Queen Elizabeth at Hampton Court Palace in London, and on the 29th, Henslowe's Diary will record their return to the Rose. Our day-by-day journey can thus continue!

This reappearance will, however, be a brief one: Lord Strange's Men will be at the Rose for little more than a month before the government will close the theatres again due to another outbreak of plague. After this, the Rose will remain closed for almost a year.

But at least from now until the beginning of February we can experience once more the daily life of an Elizabethan acting company. I cannot promise you a great deal of novelty; for the most part, the company will simply revive once again the same group of plays that it had been staging earlier in the year. However, two new plays will appear in the repertory and occasional shenanigans along the way will add some spice.

See you tomorrow for a trip to the court of Queen Elizabeth!