Along with the adult acting troupes, such as the Queen's Men, there was another genre of acting troupes that influenced Shakespeare and his writing. Children's, or boy acting troupes and their rise in popularity caught Shakespeare's attention and caused him to elevate his writing.

On February 2nd in 1585, Shakespeare signs a baptismal certificate for his twin children Judith and Hamnet. This is the last record we have of what he is doing for the next seven years and beginning what scholars call his “lost years” There are many, many theories of what he was doing during this time. In this episode, we explore the story of William Knell and the Queen’s Men, and how it may shed some light on the unexpected journey the young man from Stratford would ultimately embark on.

This season, we're taking a deeper look at the evolving theatre scene of the 1500-1600s and how the way plays were produced influenced what ended up in the final texts we have of William Shakespeare. In our first episode, we explore one of the earliest influences on the young Bard: traveling and touring theater companies. Listen in to learn more about the types of productions being produced in the late 1500s and the way those touring productions shaped the written texts we know today.