Chamberlain's Men

Chamberlain's Men, Elizabethan theatrical company for which Shakespeare, a joint owner of the company, wrote his plays and served as actor. Organized in 1594, they performed at the Globe and at the Blackfriars theaters. Under the patronage of James I they became c.1603 the King's Men. The members shared in the ownership of the theater and the profits, and most took part in the performances. Richard Burbage was the most famous player. The most important rival company was the Admiral's Men.

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Chamberlain's Men

 or Lord Chamberlain's Men

English theatrical company, the most important in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. It was based at the Globe Theatre from 1599 to 1608. In 1603 it was taken under royal patronage as the King's Men. William Shakespeare was connected with the company for most of his career; it also presented works by Ben Jonson, Thomas Dekker, and Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It ceased to exist when the theatres were closed at the outbreak of the English Civil Wars in 1642.