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Richard GunnellEnglish actor, playwright and theatre manager
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- English Actor, Playwright, and Theater Manager
- Early Career
- Rise to Prominence
- The Hungarian Lion and The Way to Content All Women
- The Salisbury Court Theatre
- The Children of the Revels
- Later Years and Death
English Actor, Playwright, and Theater Manager
Richard Gunnell was an English actor, playwright, and theater manager who flourished in London during the reigns of James I and Charles I. His career spanned from 1613 to 1634, and his notable achievement was the establishment of the Salisbury Court Theatre.
Early Career
Little is known about Gunnell's early life and the beginning of his theatrical career. He first joined the Admiral's Men in 1613, and when the Admiral's Men changed their name to the Palsgrave's Men on January 4, 1613, Gunnell was among the shareholders of this theatrical company.
Rise to Prominence
Although the surviving records of the Palsgrave's Men are sparse, Gunnell's career trajectory can be seen in these records. He was listed as the twelfth of fourteen shareholders in 1613, but he became the fourth of ten in the rental agreement between the company and theater owner Edward Alleyn for the Fortune Playhouse. In a subsequent lease for the rebuilt theater in 1622, Gunnell was named as the first shareholder.
The Hungarian Lion and The Way to Content All Women
After the fire that destroyed the Fortune on December 9, 1621, and led to the loss of the company's costumes and play manuscripts, Gunnell shifted his focus from acting to theatre management and playwriting. His comedy "The Hungarian Lion" was produced in 1623, followed by "The Way to Content All Women, or How a Man May Please His Wife" in 1624. Unfortunately, none of Gunnell's works have survived.
The Salisbury Court Theatre
In 1629, Gunnell embarked on the ambitious project of establishing the Salisbury Court Theatre, which occupied the former London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. His partner in this venture was William Blagrave, an assistant to Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels.
The Children of the Revels
Alongside the establishment of the new theater, Gunnell and Blagrave sought to create a new acting company called the Children of the Revels, a group of boys who would play the female roles (as all actors were male at the time). Similar companies, such as the Children of the Chapel and the Children of Paul's, had operated in London about thirty years earlier, and Christopher Beeston would later attempt a similar endeavor with his Beeston's Boys in 1637. However, Gunnell and Blagrave's plans were thwarted by the outbreak of bubonic plague, which forced London theaters to close in 1630, rendering their boy actors redundant.
Later Years and Death
Despite the setbacks, Gunnell managed to reorganize the adult Prince Charles's Men troupe at Salisbury Court in 1631, including several of his former colleagues from the Palsgrave's Men. Gunnell remained a resident of the parish of St. Giles Without Cripplegate in London for many years, where parish records reveal baptisms and burials of several of his children between 1613 and 1631. His death occurred in late 1634 or early 1635. He left no will, and his widow, Elizabeth, and two daughters, Margaret and Anne, were left destitute. Elizabeth later married John Robinson, possibly an actor, while Margaret married actor William Wintershall.
