ABSTRACT
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men settled at the Theatre, Finsbury Fields, in 1594. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, with neither financial reserves nor a proper home, were in danger of losing their privileged London status and open to the Lord Mayor’s harassment. Despite James Burbage’s financial unreliability, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men were economically a thoroughly viable business. The people the company needed to hire included extra actors, musicians, property men, wardrobe supervisors, doorman and stage keepers who could be drafted in as extras in crowd scenes. The season opened in September, and the company played through till Christmas, when they hoped to appear at court. A few plays from the company do survive by the ubiquitous ‘Anon’, but the fact is remarkable, no less remarkable than William Shakespeare’s productivity in the same period. He generally supplied the company with at least two plays per year, usually one serious and one more light-hearted.
