ABSTRACT
If it is a truism that English society experienced a widespread and profound transformation in the course of the sixteenth century, among the ways in which this is most clearly manifest are on the one hand those developments which took place in the provision of education, and on the other the changes in the theatrical culture of the nation. In both areas of activity, the process of change ecompassed both material and organizational structures, and the 'content' of their products. The system of education was completely transformed during the period, and for its part the theatrical culture of England at the end of the century was scarcely identifiable with the situation that had prevailed at its beginning. Also noteworthy are the remarkable parallels that can be discerned between the developments in these two areas of cultural activity. While the drama saw the emergence of dedicated buildings in the last quarter of the century, there was also a substantial increase in college and school building as a result of state and private investment. The impulse towards secularization in both areas was a consequence of the changes not only in religious politics, but also in the social role of each within the culture. Both became, in the course of the century, increasingly subject to state influence as they developed into national institutions of some importance, albeit that the state was neither monolithic nor always uniform in its policies. As such, they were both part of a trend towards the centralization of English culture in the capital. 1 The development of London as a centre of theatrical enterprise coincided with the substantial increase in importance of the Inns of Court as an educational and cultural institution, and the establishment of elite schools in and around the capital. 2 The existence of a commercial theatre culture housed in dedicated buildings was determined by very similar social changes and conditions which propelled major educational institutions into an enhanced role in national and cultural life. 3 The growth in cultural prominence of education on the one hand and theatre on the other, not only takes place in curiously close juxtaposition, but in a way which makes each a touchstone of political and cultural change.
