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August 14, 2007
Santa Cruz, California
Received by FAB
I am here, William Shakespeare.
I went to London in 1586 at the age of 22, just a year after the
birth of my twins. When I first arrived there, I stayed with Tom
Fawkes. He is unknown to history. He knew one of my neighbors, who
was named Tom Smith. He assured Mr. Fawkes that I would be a good
boarder and that I had a good character.
My first employment in the theater was as a stand-in actor. There
was an informal audition, in which I could display my talent. My
employer was very impressed, and determined that direct acting should
be my very first job. This was the famous Queen's Men, an acting
troupe with great prestige. I later joined another troupe, Lord
Strange's Men.
The story that I held the horses of actors is just a silly, untrue
myth.
The conditions of the theatrical world in London at that time were
ripe for my emergence as an important personage in that profession.
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