Ben Jonson and the Masque

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The English poet and playwright Ben Jonson (1572-1637) is a towering figure in the history of the masque art form. This informal salon, featuring food and drink, will explore the masque tradition as it existed during the Jacobean era, featuring dramatic and musical excerpts from Jonson’s own work.

The evening will feature Larry Beckwith, speaker, tenor and violin, Derek Boyes, actor, Katherine Hill, soprano and viola da gamba and Ben Stein, lute. The evening will include snacks, tea, coffee, and a cash bar.

Tickets are $20 (discount for season subscribers) and can be ordered online here: https://www.bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/150

Like his contemporary, William Shakespeare, Jonson tackled themes with such a direct and poetic eloquence that his works speak to us as strongly today as they did 400 years ago. Largely known for his celebrated plays, such The Alchemist, Volpone and Bartholomew Fair, he was a favourite artist at the court of James I and created – along with many brilliant collaborators – close to three dozen masques, entertainments that combined dance, poetry, theatre and music, set off by lavish scenery and costumes. While written for the aristocracy, these works addressed a wide range of themes that – in a veiled way – also explored the issues of the day. Among his many collaborators were the musicians Alfonso Ferrabosco, Robert Johnson, Giovanni Coperario, Thomas Campion and the designer Inigo Jones.

Toronto Masque Theatre begins its journey into the works of this great master with a salon which will introduce our audience to the story of Jonson’s life – a story full of controversy and intrigue – and the remarkable scope of his masques, from the ingenious Masque of Blackness of 1605 to Love’s Welcome at Bolsover thirty years later.

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