Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Renaissance Actors
In the 1500s, acting was a good job. For someone bright and creative - and willing to work hard - it was a full-time job, too. Renaissance actors didn't have to audition for role after role. Once hired, they became members of an acting troupe with a role to play nearly every day.
The Lord Chamberlain's Men and the Admiral's Men were two of these acting troupes. They were also known as repertory companies. Their actors learned many roles, and the companies had many plays ready to perform at any time. It was not unusual for a company to perform a different play every day of the week.
Some of the actors specialized in dramatic roles, and others specialized in comedy. Whatever their specialty, these actors kept busy. A typical Renaissance play might have two dozen or more characters.
The actors had to be good speakers. They had to be loud. They had to be flexible, too, appealing to both the aristocrats in the best seats and the groundlings in the pit. In addition, since all of the actors were men, they had to be able to play both male and female roles.
Actors appeared on stage every day decked out in eye-catching costumes. Audiences would have been disappointed to see actors without their finery.
