answersLogoWhite

0

They were not. The Earl of Leicester did sponsor a theatrical company in the 1570s but Shakespeare was just a kid then. I suppose one might say that the Earl's interest in drama fuelled competition between various nobles to have the largest and best theatrical troupe (until the Queen formed her own company by stealing all the best actors from the others) which encouraged the development of drama generally and laid the groundwork for the careers of Burbage and Alleyn, Shakespeare and Marlowe, Beeston and Henslowe and all of the others who prospered because of the drama industry from the 1580s on.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

What else can I help you with?