ABSTRACT
The 'arm's-length' control of the capital' theatre operated by Elizabeth was changed immediately on James's accession into direct and powerful royal patronage; and an Act of Parliament soon confirmed this development by forbidding the traditional patronage of acting companies by peers of the realm. The Lord Chamberlain's Company was translated into the King's Men, the Lord Admiral's Company into Prince Henry's Men, and the Earl of Worcester's Men into Queen Anne's Men. One aspect of the growing split between private and public theatre, this development must have given the favoured companies a new sense of privilege and may have enabled the King's Men just five years later to do what they failed to do in 1596, occupy the Blackfriars. During the reigns of James and Charles, the court showed a consistent interest in professional theatre, supporting it through the Privy Council against the City authorities and influencing its development and style of repertory.
