Theatre Closure and the Paradoxical Rise of English Renaissance Drama in the Civil Wars

Focusing on the production and reception of drama during the theatre closures of 1642 to 1660, Heidi Craig shows how the ''death'' of contemporary theatre in fact gave birth to English Renaissance drama as a critical field. While the prohibition on playing in many respects killed the English stage, drama thrived in print, with stationers publishing unprecedented numbers of previously unprinted pro...