ABSTRACT
Matie” (Chambers, iv.164). The Chamberlain’s payees were “Willm Kempe Willm
Shakespeare & Richarde Burbage.” These then were three of the most prominent
players in the new company. Such prominence in 1594 almost certainly suggests each
of these three had enjoyed some notoriety prior to joining the Chamberlain’s. Kempe
had been a notable player for both Leicester’s and Strange’s Men. Burbage cannot be
definitely connected to any company before the Chamberlain’s, but he likely played
with whatever companies performed at the Theatre before the Chamberlain’s took
up residence there in June 1594. But what about Shakespeare? He does not appear
in any lists of players before this record, and no family connections tied him to any
particular venue. He had written successful plays by this point, but the evidence
about which companies performed his plays, and which company repertories he was
familiar with, point in several directions: Pembroke’s, Strange’s, Sussex’s, and the
Queen’s Men are the most obvious. Certainly Shakespeare must have been in one
acting company or another, but which? If we could just read his plays and consider
the other available evidence one more time, or put some new spin on the question,
perhaps the answer will at last emerge ...
