New plays had to be cranked out constantly, much the same as TV sit-coms and series today. Playwrights like Shakespeare (who also acted) were under the gun to write and write and write, especially since it was the Golden Age of Theatre with plenty of other good writers competing hard. The schedule was punishing: up early in the morning, head to the theatre to memorize and rehearse the newly minted scenes, practice sword fighting, perform at 2pm, grab a bite and then home to write late into the night with a drippy quill pen and dim candlelight. Next day? Rinse and repeat. It was definitely a young man’s game. If Shakespeare had had a laptop, he might’ve written 390 plays rather than 39!
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