Actors in Shakespearean plays
So who were the actors of Shakespeare's plays?
During the Elizabethan time, only men were permitted to act. So all girls parts were played by boys because women were not allowed to perform in the public theatres until 1660. Personally I think this has really influenced today's media coverage of women - in my opinion there is a misrepresentation of women in the Media because of the long history of men dominating the acting world, maybe that is where it all started?
But also the Panto has picked up on gender reversing roles and I think it is a very 'British' thing to do. Who doesn't want to see a very masculine man prance around in a pretty dress.
I do think however that plays like 'twelfth night' and 'as you like it' might get a little complicated as there is a lot of role reversing in the play! Often young boys would perform as the female characters during the Shakespearean time, to avoid confusion.
Training as actor?
Some young boys would join a company and would be taught by other actors who would of had more experience. The skills that actors had to had were varied.
- Sword fighter
- Singer
- Dancer
- Good at remembering
The companies size did vary and the size did depend on where the company was working and how much money the company had - more money = more people. A company of wealth would have 8-12 experienced actors and there would be 3-4 boys who would be hired. Then there was the stage men who would help with costume and props if needed. And then finally the musicians.
Actors would join a company which would be under the Patronage of a monarch, a good example would be the Queen's Men.
How much did an actor earn?
Because there were shareholders in the company the boys or 'hired men' would earn less than the investors. Shakespeare was a sharer in several different companies throughout his theatre careers; such as Chamberlain's men and the King's men. The amount of money they would earn per show would also depend on the Venue. Obviously in a city like London you would earn more money because of the dense population - Fun Fact! William Kendall was pain 10 shillings a week in London and only 5 Shillings in the country side.
Working place?
A lot of companies were based in London when they had permanent theatres. When the city was at rage with the Plague a lot of the theatres did shut which meant the companies had to go on tour around the countries. There was an occasion when the companies would go abroad in Germany and the Netherlands.
What was the average day like?
Most shows were performed in the afternoon in the repertory because of the light in the theatres was very limited. The same play was never performed two days in a row and actors would spend their morning rehearsing and preparing to the afternoon. A lot of actors would be doing different plays at the same time and would have little time to rehearse. There were not lots of copies of the same script for the actors to use so they were given pieces of papers with their lines and cues and the last words of what the previous person said before them - this could make learning worse. 
Did actors specialise?Most actors would be type cast, but there were a variety of characters for people to play. Some parts would be written for a certain person - Shakespeare wrote the part of Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing for William Kempe because he could capture comedic physicality. The fool in King Lear was also written for Robert Armin who had the skills for good witty language and slaptick comedy.
Sources I used: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/uploads/files/2014/01/actors.pdf
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