This is the first book to examine early Tudor theater from the perspective of the great households of England. Westfall provides an illuminating account of those aristocrats of the sixteenth century that commissioned, funded, and staged complex and often lavish entertainments for their households, including plays, masques, concerts, dances, and sports.

This wide-ranging study relates patronage to Shakespeare and the theatrical culture of his time. Twelve distinguished theater historians address such questions as--What important functions did patronage have for the theater during this period? How, in turn, did the theater impact on and represent patronage? In what ways do patronage, political power, and playing intersect? The authors also show how patronage practices changed and developed from the early Tudor period to the years in which Shakespeare was the English theater's leading artist.