William Allen (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Allen was a prominent English actor in the Caroline era
. He belonged to both of the most important theatre companies
of his generation, Queen Henrietta's Men
and the King's Men
.
Allen was a member of the Queen Henrietta's company through the main phase of its existence, from 1625 to 1636. Six cast lists for five plays survive for the company; Allen is one of only two men (the other being Michael Bowyer
) who is included in all six lists. Allen played major roles:
The Queen Henrietta's company was disrupted and fractured by the long theatre closure from May 1636 to October 1637, due to a severe outbreak of bubonic plague
. Allen was one of several members of the troupe who disappear from the surviving records in the later 1630s; he may have been among a quartet of Queen's actors who travelled to Dublin with James Shirley to work at the Werburgh Street Theatre
there.
Allen was certainly in London c. 1640, when he was one of the five former Queen's players who became actors and sharers in the King's Men around that time. Allen and the others were named Grooms of the Chamber
in January 1641. After the theatres were closed in September 1642 at the start of the English Civil War
, Allen, like several other members of the company (Charles Hart
, Nicholas Burt
, and William Robbins
), became an officer in the Royalist army. Allen served as a "major and quartermaster-general at Oxford." He was one of the ten King's Men who signed the dedication of the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio
in 1647
, the year of his death.
Caroline era
The Caroline era refers to the era in English and Scottish history during the Stuart period that coincided with the reign of Charles I , Carolus being Latin for Charles...
. He belonged to both of the most important theatre companies
Playing company
In Renaissance London, playing company was the usual term for a company of actors. These companies were organized around a group of ten or so shareholders , who performed in the plays but were also responsible for management. The sharers employed "hired men" — that is, the minor actors and...
of his generation, Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men.-Beginnings:...
and the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
.
Allen was a member of the Queen Henrietta's company through the main phase of its existence, from 1625 to 1636. Six cast lists for five plays survive for the company; Allen is one of only two men (the other being Michael Bowyer
Michael Bowyer
Michael Bowyer was an actor in English Renaissance theatre in the Jacobean and Caroline eras. He spent most of his maturity with Queen Henrietta's Men, but finished his career with the King's Men...
) who is included in all six lists. Allen played major roles:
- Captain Landby in Shirley'sJames ShirleyJames Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
The WeddingThe Wedding (1629 play)The Wedding is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley. Published in 1629, it was the first of Shirley's plays to appear in print. An early comedy of manners, it is set in the fashionable world of genteel London society in Shirley's day.... - Pandolph in Davenport'sRobert DavenportRobert Davenport was an English dramatist of the early seventeenth century. Nothing is known of his early life or education; the title pages of two of his plays identify him as a "Gentleman," though there is no record of him at either of the two universities or the Inns of Court. Scholars have...
King John and MatildaKing John and MatildaKing John and Matilda is a Caroline era stage play, a historical tragedy written by Robert Davenport. It was initially published in 1655; the cast list included in the first edition is provides valuable information on some of the actors of English Renaissance theatre.-Performance and publication:No... - Grimaldi the Renegado in Massinger'sPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
The RenegadoThe RenegadoThe Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice is a late Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and first published in 1630... - Hannibal in Nabbes'sThomas NabbesThomas Nabbes was an English dramatist.He was born in humble circumstances in Worcestershire, and educated at Exeter College, Oxford in 1621...
Hannibal and ScipioHannibal and ScipioHannibal and Scipio is a Caroline era stage play, a classical tragedy written by Thomas Nabbes. The play was first performed in 1635 by Queen Henrietta's Men, and was first published in 1637... - Mullisheg in Heywood'sThomas HeywoodThomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...
The Fair Maid of the WestThe Fair Maid of the WestThe Fair Maid of the West, or a Girl Worth Gold, Parts 1 and 2 is a work of English Renaissance drama, a two-part play written by Thomas Heywood that was first published in 1631.-Date:...
(both parts).
The Queen Henrietta's company was disrupted and fractured by the long theatre closure from May 1636 to October 1637, due to a severe outbreak of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. Allen was one of several members of the troupe who disappear from the surviving records in the later 1630s; he may have been among a quartet of Queen's actors who travelled to Dublin with James Shirley to work at the Werburgh Street Theatre
Werburgh Street Theatre
The Werburgh Street Theatre, also the Saint Werbrugh Street Theatre or the New Theatre, was a seventeenth-century theatre in Dublin, Ireland...
there.
Allen was certainly in London c. 1640, when he was one of the five former Queen's players who became actors and sharers in the King's Men around that time. Allen and the others were named Grooms of the Chamber
Groom of the Chamber
Groom of the Chamber and Groom of the Privy Chamber were positions in the Royal Household of the English monarchy, the latter considerably more elevated. Other Ancien Régime royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles...
in January 1641. After the theatres were closed in September 1642 at the start of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Allen, like several other members of the company (Charles Hart
Charles Hart (17th-century actor)
Charles Hart was a prominent British Restoration actor.A Charles Hart was christened on 11 December 1625, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, in London. It is not absolutely certain that this was the actor, though the name was not common at the time...
, Nicholas Burt
Nicholas Burt
Nicholas Burt , or Birt or Burght among other variants, was a prominent English actor of the seventeenth century. In a long career, he was perhaps best known as the first actor to play the role of Othello in the Restoration era.A "Nicholas Bert" was christened on 27 May 1621, in Norwich; the record...
, and William Robbins
William Robbins (actor)
William Robbins , also Robins, Robinson, or Robson, was a prominent comic actor in the Jacobean and Caroline eras....
), became an officer in the Royalist army. Allen served as a "major and quartermaster-general at Oxford." He was one of the ten King's Men who signed the dedication of the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio
Beaumont and Fletcher folios
The Beaumont and Fletcher folios were two large folio collections of the stage plays of John Fletcher and his collaborators. The first was issued in 1647, and the second in 1679. The two collections were important in preserving many works of English Renaissance drama.-The first folio, 1647:The 1647...
in 1647
1647 in literature
The year 1647 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Thomas Hobbes becomes tutor to the future Charles II of England.* Plagiarist Robert Baron publishes his Deorum Dona, a masque, and Gripus and Hegio, a pastoral, which draw heavily on the poems of Edmund Waller and John Webster's...
, the year of his death.