The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 16.1822  Friday, 4 November 2005

[1] 	From: 	William Proctor Williams <
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	Date: 	Thursday, 03 Nov 2005 12:01:26 -0500
	Subj: 	Re: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage

[2] 	From: 	Bradley Ryner <
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	Date: 	Thursday, 3 Nov 2005 14:06:21 -0500
	Subj: 	RE: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage

[3] 	From: 	Kathy Dent <
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	Date: 	Thursday, 03 Nov 2005 23:31:04 +0000
	Subj: 	RE: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		William Proctor Williams <
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Date: 		Thursday, 03 Nov 2005 12:01:26 -0500
Subject: 16.1814 Railed Stage
Comment: 	Re: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage

R. A. Foakes's +Illustrations of the English Stage: 1580-1642+. London: 
Scolar, 1985 has a number of contemporary illustrations of stages with 
rails.

William Proctor Williams

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Bradley Ryner <
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Date: 		Thursday, 3 Nov 2005 14:06:21 -0500
Subject: 16.1814 Railed Stage
Comment: 	RE: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage

I don't believe that there is much to support this claim (nor much to 
disprove it beyond a shadow of a doubt).  Illustrations 31 and 34 in R. 
A.Foakes's _Illustrations of the English Stage 1580-1642_ are of a 
railed stage from the title pages of Willima Alabaster's _Roxana_ (1632) 
and Nathanial Richard's _Messalina_ (1640).

Best,
Brad Ryner

[3]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Kathy Dent <
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Date: 		Thursday, 03 Nov 2005 23:31:04 +0000
Subject: 16.1814 Railed Stage
Comment: 	RE: SHK 16.1814 Railed Stage

 >In his book The Open Stage (1953), Richard Southern stated that
 >"The Elizabethan open stage was railed." Does anybody know of
 >any evidence which may support or refute this claim?

In Andrew Gurr's book _The Shakespearean Stage, 1574-1642_ is reproduced 
a vignette from the title page of William Alabaster's _Roxanna_ (1632) 
and also a vignette from the title page of Nathaniel Richards's 
_Messallina_ (1640) in which railed stages are shown.  However, DeWitt's 
drawing of the Swan stage, also reproduced in Gurr's book, shows no 
rails.  Gurr concludes: 'Evidently, as with traps and other devices, 
some playhouses had them and some did not'. (p.150 in the 2nd edition of 
the book.)

Kathy Dent

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