Every legend has an origin or a background. While William Shakespeare is more known today as the playwright that wrote timeless classics like “King Lear”, “Macbeth”, “Othello”, and “Hamlet”, he occasionally dabbled in acting. In this vein, we then explore how he started – in a theater troupe called “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”. Knowing them would give us a background about The Bard as a member of his troupe and how they presented his works onstage.

“The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” was formed during the reign of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I. They got their name from Henry Carey, their patron from whom the name “Lord Chamberlain” was taken. This troupe originally consisted of 8 members that shared the profits in case the play earned more than what it spent and debts since the rent needs to be paid. This then made them known as “the eight sharers”, a system that became prevalent throughout their existence. The eight-sharer platform eventually became a business system for them. Whenever one leaves the troupe, another will come in to fill that vacated “sharer status”.

The men that really kept the troupe assembled in the beginning consisted of James Burbage, the theater impressario, and his sons Cuthbert who became a theater builder and Richard who became one of the most celebrated actors of his era. Richard Burbage played most of the lead roles in this troupe. Since much of his earlier roles were not documented much, there was a speculation that he played female roles too as women are prohibited from joining the theater during the 1500’s. Most plays that Shakespeare wrote premiered with Burbage playing the title role like “King Lear”, “Richard II“, “Othello” and “Hamlet”.

And since most plays included a comedy role, the role often ended up with Willliam Kempe. Kempe is noted for his dancing skill and comic timing. For this reason, he became associated with such roles like Dogberry in “Much Ado About Nothing“, Peter in “Romeo and Juliet“, and Bottom (I like his name) in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream“. But his signature role turned out to be Falstaff, a character found in 3 of Shakespeare’s plays. Falstaff may actually be the most popular comic character that Shakespeare ever created – a character whose adventures are presented most of the time for laughs. Falstaff may be the best proof of how Shakespeare added depth to characters even if the genre is comedy, proving how even comedies still serve as theatrical challenges to anyone interested to play such roles.

While some of Shakespeare’s works don’t aim for historical accuracy, it still elicited controversy once in a while. The only recorded controversy so far of this theater troupe is their “special performance” of “Richard II”. At that time, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex was planning a revolt against Elizabeth I. His supporters then commissioned the said performance as if they are already conditioning the public of the Queen’s downfall. The Queen herself became aware of the propaganda, sensing that the character alluded to her was Richard II himself. It put the troupe in bad favor with Her Majesty. If not for one of the performers, Augustine Philips, testifying that they were offered 40 shillings more than their usual fee, they will not get pardoned. Because of this, the troupe got to perform again for Her Majesty the day before the 2nd Earl of Essex got executed by guillotine.

Shakespeare stayed with the troupe even if “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” changed their name several times depending on who patronized them. Finally, they earned the name “The King’s Men” after James I of England got crowned and patronized the troupe.

Before Hollywood stepped in to produce their versions of Shakespeare’s classic plays, 3 of the best-selling plays ever performed were remade by renowned Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi as operas: “Macbeth”, “Otello” (Othello) and “Falstaff”. It gave Italians an idea about Shakespeare presented in a genre they can appreciate best. French composer Ambroise Thomas, on the other hand, remade “Hamlet” for the French audience to enjoy and appreciate Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.

Shakespeare as a writer indeed inspired several generations despite the common notion of how his characters served as the toughest challenges ever encountered by any actor serious with theater. This is why it will be a fascinating event to witness my performance as the disturbed soul, Hamlet. Details are on the poster. For more updates, please click “Like” on my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and follow me on Twitter @kuyamanzano. See you there.