Thanks to all of you who came to the first meeting and to those who expressed their interest via email. Our inaugural meeting for the 2014-15 academic year was a brief one. After some introductions and snacks, Carla discussed why we were starting this reading group, considering that we already have the Early Modern Workshop.

I then talked briefly about the theme and what could be gained from it. Here are some notes I thought worth mentioning. While the title of Andrew Gurr’s company biography, “Shakespeare’s Opposites,” suggests that the company was constructed in reaction to the genius of Shakespeare and his companies—the Chamberlain’s and King’s Men—this is not the case. Indeed there were contemporaries and most relatable competitors: touring and court records indicate that Admiral’s existed as long if not longer than Shakespeare’s companies, more than twenty years. So while Shakespeare’s play did indeed saturate the repertory of his companies—arguably experimenting with a writer-in-residence model—Admiral’s gives us a glimpse at the other half of the equation, depending as they did on the tried-and-true diversified portfolio of plays to cultivate regular audience attendance. That portfolio included a variety of subjects and playwrights, tending toward the politically biting and often focusing on domestic drama. Economically promiscuous, touring and London records show them teaming up with or borrowing personally from other companies. In these ways there repertory speaks to the closely-knit network that was the Elizabethan theatrical marketplace more than a focus on Shakespeare’s canon could ever exemplify.

This reactionary narrative that constitutes much of the critical conversation (the little that there is) surrounding the Admiral’s Men and their rich portfolio make them, I think, an ideal locus for exploring the ‘infinite variety’ of the Elizabethan theatrical marketplace. These qualities also suit the company to the goals of our group. First, interrogating canonicity, by reading along company-lines as the owners and proprietors of plays rather than their authors. Second, by recreating for ourselves the mental furniture of early modern playgoers—accruing the experience of these plays side-by-side, considering their potential ethics and house style overtime—we will explore the related fields of Theatre History and Repertory Studies by recreating the repertory system and its effects for ourselves.

To conclude, Carla and I briefly went over how to use the group’s website, and how to get access to the readings via the university’s e-reserve system. The group then talked through and decided on meeting four times this semester. While a location has yet to be nailed down, we will be meeting on the following Mondays at 5:00pm: 9/15, 10/13, 11/3, and 12/1. Check our schedule page for updates.