In the first full-length study devoted to John Lowin, Wooding provides a comprehensive overview of the life and times of one of the greatest actors of seventeenth-century England. She examines his involvement in the Jacobean/Caroline world as citizen, performer, and manager of King's Men's Company.
'Wooding's study of John Lowin draws critical focus away from the dramatists who used to dominate theatre history and towards the company personnel who brought to life the plays we now study: in doing so it contributes to an ongoing emphasis in scholarship on the collaborative nature of theatre. It also provides an interesting example of how the history of a company as famous and well-researched as the King's Men can be retold from the perspective of one of its key players. Though the book provides a wealth of biographical material particular to Lowin, it also offers a new lens through which to view the development of early modern drama upon the (still relatively underexplored) Jacobean and Caroline stage.' Around the Globe '... a remarkable book that fills a gap in the history of early modern drama while contributing to the intellectual history of Jacobean and Caroline England. ... Wooding's John Lowin and the English Theatre, 1603-1647 will serve and delight generations of early modern drama and intellectual historians.' Sixteenth Century Journal 'John Lowin and the English Theatre, 1603-1647 offers scholars engaging insight into the activities of the King's Men Company, close critical readings of the plays foregrounding Lowin's characters, and his contribution to performance history. ... [Wooding's] enquiry into Lowin's life deserves praise ...' Seventeenth-Century News 'This book proceeds at a leisurely pace but is full of interesting material. It is readable, accessible, and infused with a sense of the pleasure of theater. It will be, for some time to come, the definitive biography ofJohn Lowin.' Comparative Drama 'Barbara Wooding's John Lowin and the English Theatre, 1607 -1647: Acting and Cultural Politics on the Jacobean and Caroline Stage fills this niche and provides a fascinating case study about how the profession developed during this period.' Renaissance Quarterly
