Samuel Rowley facts for kids

Samuel Rowley was an English playwright and actor who lived in the 1600s. He was an important part of the theater scene in London during a time when plays were very popular.

Samuel Rowley: Actor and Theater Manager

Samuel Rowley first appeared in historical records around the late 1590s. He worked closely with a famous theater manager named Philip Henslowe.

Early Acting Career

At first, Rowley was an actor. He might have even been a part-owner of a theater company called the Admiral's Men. This group performed their plays at the well-known Rose Theatre in London.

Taking on New Roles

After 1598, Samuel Rowley started taking on more responsibilities. He helped Philip Henslowe and another important theater figure, Edward Alleyn, manage the business side of the company. Even with these new duties, he kept acting until at least 1617. We know this because his name appears in the "plots" (which were like outlines) for plays such as Frederick and Basilea, The Battle of Alcazar, and 1 Tamar Cam.

Staying with the Company

Rowley stayed with the same theater company as it changed its sponsors. First, it was supported by Prince Henry, and later by the Palsgrave.

Samuel Rowley: A Playwright's Life

As a writer, Samuel Rowley was part of a group of playwrights who often worked together. They helped keep Henslowe and Alleyn supplied with new plays for their audiences.

Working with Other Writers

Henslowe paid Rowley to add new parts to Christopher Marlowe's famous play, Doctor Faustus. Some people believe Rowley wrote the funny parts for the clown in the 1616 version of the play. He also wrote a play called Judas with William Borne and Edward Juby, but this play is now lost.

Plays Written by Samuel Rowley

Rowley also wrote plays by himself. His only play that still exists today is When You See Me You Know Me. This play was written between 1603 and 1605. It tells the story of King Henry VIII from the time his wife Jane Seymour died until Charles V visited England.

Lost Plays by Rowley

Samuel Rowley also wrote other plays that have not survived. These include a play about King Richard III and two comedies called Hard Shift for Husbands and A Match or no Match. These three plays were approved shortly before he passed away.

Possible Other Works

Some experts, like H. D. Sykes, believed that Samuel Rowley helped write parts of other plays. These include The Famous Victories of Henry V, The Taming of a Shrew, and sections of Robert Greene's Orlando Furioso. However, these ideas are not widely accepted. This is because these plays are linked to a different acting group called the Queen Elizabeth's Men, and Rowley is not known to have worked with them. Another expert, MacD. P. Jackson, thought Rowley wrote Richard II, Part One, a play some others believe was written by Shakespeare.

Samuel Rowley's Family and Death

For a long time, people wondered if Samuel Rowley was related to a more famous playwright named William Rowley.

A Family Connection

In the 1960s, Samuel Rowley's will was discovered, which helped answer this question. In this document, he left all his books to a brother named William. This suggests they were indeed brothers.

Where He Lived and Died

Samuel Rowley lived for many decades in the parish of St Mary's in Whitechapel, London. He passed away in this same area.