73:), Alexandra F. Johnston, an early drama scholar from the University of Toronto, came across a manuscript transcription of a 1433 indenture agreement between the leaders of the medieval Mercers' Guild and their pageant masters. The document contained details of a medieval pageant wagon and sophisticated staging unknown to researchers of the time. Johnston also met Margaret Dorrell, an Australian graduate student at the
144:
REED has had close ties to the
English Department, the Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS), the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (CRRS), and the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama. From 1976 to 2009 the project was based at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. In 2009 the
186:
In addition to revealing evidence of vernacular entertainment activities, the research work for the collections produces a body of knowledge regarding professional travelling entertainers, their patronage, and their performance venues. This cumulative information was first launched for public use
222:
to produce an ongoing public website titled
Shakespeare on Tour. Many REED editors contributed stories and images from their research in the Elizabethan period to help raise “the curtain on performances of The Bard’s plays countrywide from the 16th Century to the present day.”
116:
ten-year Major
Editorial Grant for the proposed series of collections, establishing REED as a long-term research and publishing project. Because three of the four initial collections were edited by Canadian researchers, Toronto, Canada, became the home of the project.
24:, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1976 by a group of international scholars interested in understanding “the native tradition of English playmaking that apparently flourished in late medieval provincial towns” and formed the context for the development of the
32:
and his contemporaries. REED's primary focus is to locate, transcribe, edit, and publish historical documents from
England, Wales, and Scotland containing evidence of drama, secular music, and other communal entertainment and mimetic ceremony from the late
210:
gathers documents related to professional theatres north and south of the Thames up to 1642 and bibliographic information about their subsequent transcriptions, documenting how scholars “got information about the early theatres, from whom and when.”
149:. REED's internal governance is provided by an executive board of senior scholars in early drama and related fields, with digital advisors and collections editors drawn from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
44:
From its inception in 1976 to 2016, REED published twenty-seven print collections of records edited by over thirty international scholars. REED is also engaged in creating a collection of free digital resources for research and education including
104:). The idea of a scholarly publishing project to find, transcribe, and edit documentary evidence of performance arose from these meetings and was met with interest by the individual researchers and their academic communities.
111:
in the
University of Toronto. In 1975–76, Johnston received a Canada Council personal grant for the publication of the York records as a pilot project, and in late 1976, REED was officially launched with a
128:, edited by Lawrence D. Clopper. Since then the project has expanded its scope from major cities and towns to all the counties of England, Wales, and Scotland, based on historic pre-1642 county borders.
191:
80:
Within the next two years, Johnston and
Dorrell met other scholars of medieval and Renaissance drama working independently on manuscripts from other English cities (David Galloway of the
774:
107:
In
January 1974, Johnston circulated a position paper on the project. Discussions and planning followed and, in February 1975, the inaugural REED meeting was held at
246:
226:
Throughout its existence, REED maintained its primary focus and published about six collections each decade. In 2015, REED published its last print collection (
509:
306:
440:
250:
258:
145:
offices of the project moved to the
English Department. REED retains active relationships with the English Department, the CMS, and the
769:
702:
675:
648:
146:
97:
89:
754:
749:
314:
108:
241:
REED has received substantial funding from private individuals and foundations (including the
Jackman Foundation), the
764:
759:
254:
81:
25:
433:
The York Plays: A Critical
Edition of the York Corpus Christi Play as recorded in British Library Additional ms 35290
179:, hosted the Picturing Shakespeare symposium, an exhibition of and an accompanying public symposium regarding the
195:
455:
734:
153:
739:
514:
176:
77:, who was working on a similar project related to the York records; the two women decided to collaborate.
169:
21:
744:
262:
219:
74:
569:
161:
70:
694:
686:
69:, England, to study manuscripts related to the York cycle of biblical plays (also known as the
698:
671:
667:
659:
644:
436:
183:, an Elizabethan painting reputed to be the only one of Shakespeare made during his lifetime.
180:
214:
In 2016, to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, REED collaborated with the
592:
53:(2011). In March 2017, REED moved to digital publication of records with the launch of
637:
242:
113:
728:
137:
234:, edited by Alan B. Somerset) was made freely available on its publication website,
172:) in 1983 and 2010, with participation from international amateur theatre groups.
156:(PLS) to mount four productions of full cycles of medieval biblical dramas: the
34:
29:
230:, edited by Anne Lancashire), and in March 2017, the first digital collection (
548:
535:
458:- an acting text adapted by Alexandra F. Johnston for the 2010 performances.
468:
Nolan, Stephanie (22 December 2001). "Experts to Debate Sanders Painting".
124:, edited by Alexandra F. Johnston and Margaret Rogerson (née Dorrell), and
435:. Vol. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford UP for the Early English Text Society.
238:. All subsequent collections will be added to this database and website.
206:), a research database and educational resource, with learning modules.
93:
38:
101:
85:
510:"Reading the Riot Acts and Scenes of London's Violent Theatrical Past"
350:
691:
REED in Review: Essays in Celebration of the First Twenty-Five Years
664:
REED in Review: Essays in Celebration of the First Twenty-Five Years
639:
REED in Review: Essays in Celebration of the First Twenty-Five Years
292:
418:
382:
483:
Nolan, Stephanie (20 November 2002). "Face-off over a Portrait".
66:
394:
497:
Douglas, Audrey and Sally-Beth MacLean, “Introduction,” p. 13.
333:
313:
website from the MLA International Bibliography blog, part of
307:
Website of the Week (WoW) #147: REED: Patrons and Performances
215:
120:
In 1979, REED published its first two collections of records:
57:, a publication site where records will be freely available.
718:
617:
Rynor, F. Michah (Spring 2005). "Life Before Shakespeare".
131:
After its inception in 1976, REED produced the bi-annual
318:
20:
is a performance history research project, based at the
192:
Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London
187:
through the Patrons and Performances website in 2003.
135:
which, in 1997, became the refereed scholarly journal
635:Douglas, Audrey; MacLean, Sally-Beth, eds. (2006).
406:
689:. In Douglas, Audrey; MacLean, Sally-Beth (eds.).
662:. In Douglas, Audrey; MacLean, Sally-Beth (eds.).
636:
693:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp.
666:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp.
687:"The Founding of Records of Early English Drama"
175:In November 2002, REED, in partnership with the
247:Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
506:Principal investigator John McGavin quoted in
407:Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies
775:Renaissance and early modern research centres
658:Douglas, Audrey; MacLean, Sally-Beth (2006).
8:
383:Department of English, University of Toronto
346:
344:
643:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
329:
327:
288:
286:
273:
194:, and the Department of English at the
251:National Endowment for the Humanities
18:Records of Early English Drama (REED)
7:
259:Arts and Humanities Research Council
190:In 2011, REED collaborated with the
41:closed the London public theatres.
419:Graduate Centre for Study of Drama
65:During a 1970-71 research trip in
14:
685:Johnston, Alexandra F. (2006).
549:"Shakespeare on Tour, Homepage"
508:Reisz, Matthew (3 March 2011).
152:REED has collaborated with the
147:University of Toronto Libraries
719:Records of Early English Drama
98:Indiana University Bloomington
90:University of British Columbia
1:
591:King, Pamela (26 May 2017).
335:Early Modern London Theatres
315:Modern Languages Association
257:in the U.S.; as well as the
200:Early Modern London Theatres
164:) in 1977 and 1998, and the
51:Early Modern London Theatres
395:Centre for Medieval Studies
255:Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
82:University of New Brunswick
26:English Renaissance theatre
791:
96:, and Lawrence Clopper of
597:Times Literary Supplement
321:. Retrieved 20 June 2017
196:University of Southampton
88:, Reginald Ingram of the
770:Text Encoding Initiative
431:Beadle, Richard (2009).
311:Patrons and Performances
294:Patrons and Performances
47:Patrons and Performances
28:, including the work of
570:"Published Collections"
154:Poculi Ludique Societas
515:Times Higher Education
177:Art Gallery of Ontario
373:Johnston 2006, p. 28.
364:Johnston 2006, p. 27.
280:Johnston 2006, p. 21.
170:Chester Mystery Plays
37:until 1642, when the
22:University of Toronto
755:17th-century theatre
750:16th-century theatre
228:Civic London to 1558
538:- Official website.
536:Shakespeare on Tour
421:- Official website.
409:- Official website.
397:- Official website.
385:- Official website.
355:- Official website.
338:- Official website.
297:- Official website.
263:The British Academy
220:The British Library
109:Victoria University
75:University of Leeds
765:Digital humanities
760:History of theatre
319:Humanities Commons
162:York Mystery Plays
71:York Mystery Plays
721:—Official website
456:The Chester Plays
442:978-0-1995-9036-0
168:(also called the
160:(also called the
782:
708:
681:
654:
642:
623:
622:
614:
608:
607:
605:
603:
588:
582:
581:
579:
577:
566:
560:
559:
557:
555:
545:
539:
533:
527:
526:
524:
522:
504:
498:
495:
489:
488:
480:
474:
473:
465:
459:
453:
447:
446:
428:
422:
416:
410:
404:
398:
392:
386:
380:
374:
371:
365:
362:
356:
348:
339:
331:
322:
304:
298:
290:
281:
278:
181:Sanders portrait
790:
789:
785:
784:
783:
781:
780:
779:
725:
724:
715:
705:
684:
678:
657:
651:
634:
631:
626:
619:U of T Magazine
616:
615:
611:
601:
599:
593:"Unbroken REED"
590:
589:
585:
575:
573:
568:
567:
563:
553:
551:
547:
546:
542:
534:
530:
520:
518:
507:
505:
501:
496:
492:
482:
481:
477:
467:
466:
462:
454:
450:
443:
430:
429:
425:
417:
413:
405:
401:
393:
389:
381:
377:
372:
368:
363:
359:
349:
342:
332:
325:
309:– entry on the
305:
301:
291:
284:
279:
275:
271:
249:in Canada; the
133:REED Newsletter
63:
12:
11:
5:
788:
786:
778:
777:
772:
767:
762:
757:
752:
747:
742:
737:
735:Medieval drama
727:
726:
723:
722:
714:
713:External links
711:
710:
709:
703:
682:
676:
660:"Introduction"
655:
649:
630:
627:
625:
624:
609:
583:
561:
540:
528:
499:
490:
485:Globe and Mail
475:
470:Globe and Mail
460:
448:
441:
423:
411:
399:
387:
375:
366:
357:
340:
323:
299:
282:
272:
270:
267:
243:Canada Council
114:Canada Council
62:
59:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
787:
776:
773:
771:
768:
766:
763:
761:
758:
756:
753:
751:
748:
746:
743:
741:
740:English drama
738:
736:
733:
732:
730:
720:
717:
716:
712:
706:
704:0-8020-3827-1
700:
696:
692:
688:
683:
679:
677:0-8020-3827-1
673:
669:
665:
661:
656:
652:
650:0-8020-3827-1
646:
641:
640:
633:
632:
628:
621:. p. 55.
620:
613:
610:
598:
594:
587:
584:
571:
565:
562:
550:
544:
541:
537:
532:
529:
517:
516:
511:
503:
500:
494:
491:
487:. p. R5.
486:
479:
476:
472:. p. A3.
471:
464:
461:
457:
452:
449:
444:
438:
434:
427:
424:
420:
415:
412:
408:
403:
400:
396:
391:
388:
384:
379:
376:
370:
367:
361:
358:
354:
353:
347:
345:
341:
337:
336:
330:
328:
324:
320:
316:
312:
308:
303:
300:
296:
295:
289:
287:
283:
277:
274:
268:
266:
264:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
239:
237:
233:
232:Staffordshire
229:
224:
221:
217:
212:
209:
205:
201:
197:
193:
188:
184:
182:
178:
173:
171:
167:
166:Chester Plays
163:
159:
155:
150:
148:
142:
140:
139:
138:Early Theatre
134:
129:
127:
123:
118:
115:
110:
105:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
78:
76:
72:
68:
60:
58:
56:
52:
48:
42:
40:
36:
31:
27:
23:
19:
690:
663:
638:
618:
612:
600:. Retrieved
596:
586:
574:. Retrieved
564:
552:. Retrieved
543:
531:
519:. Retrieved
513:
502:
493:
484:
478:
469:
463:
451:
432:
426:
414:
402:
390:
378:
369:
360:
351:
334:
310:
302:
293:
276:
265:in the U.K.
240:
235:
231:
227:
225:
213:
207:
203:
199:
189:
185:
174:
165:
157:
151:
143:
136:
132:
130:
125:
121:
119:
106:
79:
64:
54:
50:
46:
43:
17:
15:
352:REED Online
236:REED Online
55:REED Online
49:(2003) and
35:Middle Ages
30:Shakespeare
745:Folk plays
729:Categories
629:References
245:, and the
198:to create
158:York Plays
253:and the
94:Coventry
39:Puritans
576:12 June
554:22 June
126:Chester
102:Chester
86:Norwich
61:History
701:
674:
647:
602:31 May
572:. REED
521:1 June
439:
695:21-38
269:Notes
208:EMLoT
204:EMLoT
699:ISBN
672:ISBN
668:3-13
645:ISBN
604:2017
578:2017
556:2017
523:2017
437:ISBN
261:and
218:and
122:York
67:York
16:The
317:’s
216:BBC
100:on
92:on
84:on
731::
697:.
670:.
595:.
512:.
343:^
326:^
285:^
141:.
707:.
680:.
653:.
606:.
580:.
558:.
525:.
445:.
202:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.