Robert Browne (Elizabethan actor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Browne was an English actor of the Elizabethan era
, and the owner and manager
of the Boar's Head Theatre
. He was also part of an enduring confusion in the study of English Renaissance theatre
.
and Edwin Nunzeger, assumed that these records referred to a single individual. Later scholars, principally Charles Jasper Sissons and Herbert Berry, argued persuasively that two separate individuals had been confused and conflated into one. Or two at least: "There were obviously at least two and could easily have been three or more Robert Brownes who had to do with the companies and playhouses of the time."
To distinguish between two Robert Brownes, the earliest years of the seventeenth century are key. One Robert Browne was busy running the Boar's Head Theatre in 1601 through 1603; another Robert Browne was performing with English actors in Germany between 1601 and 1607. The Boar's Head Browne died in 1603, and so can reasonably be termed an Elizabethan actor. The career of the "other" Robert Browne
extended through the first two decades of the seventeenth century; he can sensibly be called a Jacobean actor.
) and the father of their five children, including the actor William Browne (1602–34). Browne of the Boar's Head was in all likelihood the Browne who was a leader among the acting troupe Derby's Men
, and who received payments for Court performances by Derby's Men in 1600 and 1601.
A Robert Browne wrote to Edward Alleyn
in 1589; when the subject of this article died in October 1603, Joan Alleyn wrote the news to her husband. The later Robert Browne wrote to Alleyn in 1612, showing that the Alleyns knew both men. Concerning Edward Alleyn and the two Brownes, one scholar has written, "From the scanty record it would appear that the first was of particular interest to Alleyn but not on good terms, while the second appears, from occasional notes to Alleyn, to have been confident and respectful."
It is not impossible that there was a family relationship between the two Brownes, since familial connections were common among actors and theatre people in the era: consider John and Lawrence Dutton in Queen Elizabeth's Men
, Anthony
and Humphrey Jeffes
in the Admiral's Men
a generation later, plus Robert Pallant
father and son (apparently), and other such pairs. To compound the confusion, both Robert Brownes had sons named Robert Browne.
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
, and the owner and manager
Actor-manager
An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the company's business and financial arrangements, sometimes taking over the management of a theatre, to perform plays of their own choice and in which they will usually star...
of the Boar's Head Theatre
Inn-yard theatre
In the historical era of English Renaissance drama, an Inn-yard theatre or Inn-theatre was a common inn that provided a venue for the presentation of stage plays.-Beginnings:...
. He was also part of an enduring confusion in the study of English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
.
Two Robert Brownes
The relevant documents of English Renaissance drama contain numerous references to "Robert Browne." Early twentieth-century scholars, like E. K. ChambersEdmund Kerchever Chambers
Sir Edmund Kerchever Chambers was an English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar. His four-volume history of Elizabethan theater, published in 1923, remains a standard resource for scholars of the period's drama....
and Edwin Nunzeger, assumed that these records referred to a single individual. Later scholars, principally Charles Jasper Sissons and Herbert Berry, argued persuasively that two separate individuals had been confused and conflated into one. Or two at least: "There were obviously at least two and could easily have been three or more Robert Brownes who had to do with the companies and playhouses of the time."
To distinguish between two Robert Brownes, the earliest years of the seventeenth century are key. One Robert Browne was busy running the Boar's Head Theatre in 1601 through 1603; another Robert Browne was performing with English actors in Germany between 1601 and 1607. The Boar's Head Browne died in 1603, and so can reasonably be termed an Elizabethan actor. The career of the "other" Robert Browne
Robert Browne (Jacobean actor)
Robert Browne was an English actor and theatre manager and investor of the later sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. He was also part of a long-standing confusion in the scholarship of English Renaissance theatre....
extended through the first two decades of the seventeenth century; he can sensibly be called a Jacobean actor.
The Elizabethan actor
The Robert Browne who is the subject of this article was the man who ran the Boar's Head Theatre, and who was married to Susan Browne (later Susan Greene, later Susan BaskervileSusan Baskervile
Susan Shore Browne Greene Baskervile , or Baskerville, was one of the most influential and significant women involved in English Renaissance theatre, as theatre investor, litigant, and wife, widow, and mother of actors....
) and the father of their five children, including the actor William Browne (1602–34). Browne of the Boar's Head was in all likelihood the Browne who was a leader among the acting troupe Derby's Men
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...
, and who received payments for Court performances by Derby's Men in 1600 and 1601.
A Robert Browne wrote to Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
in 1589; when the subject of this article died in October 1603, Joan Alleyn wrote the news to her husband. The later Robert Browne wrote to Alleyn in 1612, showing that the Alleyns knew both men. Concerning Edward Alleyn and the two Brownes, one scholar has written, "From the scanty record it would appear that the first was of particular interest to Alleyn but not on good terms, while the second appears, from occasional notes to Alleyn, to have been confident and respectful."
It is not impossible that there was a family relationship between the two Brownes, since familial connections were common among actors and theatre people in the era: consider John and Lawrence Dutton in Queen Elizabeth's Men
Queen Elizabeth's Men
Queen Elizabeth's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in English Renaissance theatre. Formed in 1583 at the express command of Queen Elizabeth, it was the dominant acting company for the rest of the 1580s, as the Admiral's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men would be in the decade that...
, Anthony
King's Men personnel
King's Men personnel were the people who worked with and for the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men from 1594 to 1642...
and Humphrey Jeffes
King's Men personnel
King's Men personnel were the people who worked with and for the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men from 1594 to 1642...
in the Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
a generation later, plus Robert Pallant
King's Men personnel
King's Men personnel were the people who worked with and for the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men from 1594 to 1642...
father and son (apparently), and other such pairs. To compound the confusion, both Robert Brownes had sons named Robert Browne.