A brief look at the history of dramatic representation shows a long and tumultuous past. I am just going to briefly touch down on medieval times. Because of its pagan associations, early Christians regarded the theater as disgraceful and held it in low esteem. Actors were forbidden to become members of the church or to receive the sacraments. Over time though, theater became associated with the great religious feasts like Christmas and Easter. Reenactments of these biblical moments became the central part of liturgical drama. This type of drama flourished throughout the gothic churches because of illiteracy among the townsfolk.
             During this time in history, only royalty and some aristocratic people knew how to read and write, and had a strong understanding of the English language. Clergymen were also a part of this elite group of people. Because of a lack of knowledge, many people were not able to read the bible and understand its lessons. The Catholic Church took it upon itself to educate the masses with the stories from the bible. They decided to accomplish this feat through theatrical representations, which included moral lessons.
             This type of drama was presented exclusively in the churches before 1200 AD. Only priests and choirboys acted, and eventually these performances became so elaborate that they were moved into the churchyards. In time, these performances were taken over by civic institutions, and the religious drama began to develop into secular plays with moral lessons.
             Here is where we hop into the time machine and come into the latter part of the sixteenth century, still in London. Around this time, a person walking through a market would surely pass an acting troupe or two trying to vie for an audience with a sixpence to spare. A street parade to the selected locale, with instruments announced to the public that a show was about to be put on for their entertainment. These troupes would haul thei...