LORD STRANGE'S MEN

also called Strange's Men, prominent Elizabethan acting company. A household troupe of Lord Strange, they toured the provinces before appearing at court in 1582. From 1588 to 1594 they were associated with the Admiral's Men. It has been suggested that Lord Strange's Men were the first to employ William Shakespeare, though his role in the company is unclear. The troupe performed at The Theatre and at the Rose Theatre, where they are believed to have staged several Shakespearean plays, including The Comedy of Errors. The troupe's repertory included Robert Greene's Orlando furioso (based on the poem by Ludovico Ariosto) and Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta. Upon the death of their patron in 1594, the group left London to perform in the provinces. Some members, however, joined the Chamberlain's Men.