The First Playhouses in England

Public and Private Playhouses

• Public playhouses: Open to the general public and often located outside the City of London to avoid city restrictions on theatrical performances.
• Private playhouses: Smaller, indoor venues with higher admission fees, often catering to a wealthier audience.

During the Elizabethan era, the development of theatres revolutionized English drama. Prior to the construction of purpose-built playhouses, performances were staged in inn-yards, such as The Bull Inn or The Boar’s Head. 

These venues significantly influenced the design of later theatres, with their rectangular courtyards and balconies inspiring the shape of structures like The Theatre and The Globe. The rise of playhouses reflected the growing popularity of plays by writers like Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Ben Jonson. 

However, theatres faced opposition from the Church and Puritans, who viewed them as centers of immorality and sources of plague outbreaks.

Chronological Development of Theatres

1. Red Lion (1567)

• Location: Outside London, in Whitechapel.
• Builder: John Brayne.
• Significance:
• Considered the first purpose-built playhouse in England.
• A short-lived venue, it featured a scaffold stage and was surrounded by a moat.
• Marked the transition from temporary stages to dedicated theatre buildings.

2. The Theatre (1576)

• Location: Shoreditch, London.
• Builder: James Burbage (brother-in-law of John Brayne).
• Significance:
  • The first permanent and commercially successful theatre.
  • A wooden, enclosed structure with an open roof at the center.
  • Its design was inspired by inn-yards and medieval staging traditions.
  • Timber from The Theatre was later used to construct The Globe.

3. Blackfriars Theatre (1576 and 1596)

• Location: Blackfriars district, City of London.
• Details:
  • First Blackfriars Theatre (1576):
    • Built by Richard Farrant within the precincts of a former Dominican monastery.
    • Used by the Children of the Chapel to perform for elite audiences.
    • Closed in 1584 due to political controversies in its plays.
  • Second Blackfriars Theatre (1596):
    • Built by James Burbage and became a prestigious indoor theatre for elite audiences.
    • Used by the King’s Men starting in 1608.

4. The Curtain (1577)

• Location: Finsbury Fields, Shoreditch, outside the City of London.
• Builder: Henry Lanman.
• Significance:
  • Served as a companion playhouse to The Theatre.
  • A public playhouse used by Shakespeare's company before the construction of the Globe.
  • Likely the venue for the first performances of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

5. The Rose (1587)

• Location: Southwark, London.
• Builders: Philip Henslowe and grocer John Cholmley.
• Significance:
  • Known for staging Marlowe’s plays (Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great) and early Shakespeare works (Henry VI).
  • Its archaeological remains provide insights into Elizabethan theatre design.
  • Closed in 1605.

6. The Swan (1595)

• Location: Bankside, Southwark, across the River Thames. London.
• Owner: Francis Langley.
• Significance:
  • Renowned for its large capacity and innovative scenic designs.
  • Hosted many popular plays of the period.

7. The Globe (1599)

• Location: Southwark, on the south bank of the Thames. London.
• Owners: Richard Burbage, Cuthbert Burbage (25% shares each), William Shakespeare, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, and Thomas Pope (12.5% shares each).
• Significance:
  • Constructed using timber from The Theatre.
  • The primary playhouse of Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King’s Men).
  • Hosted many of Shakespeare’s iconic plays, including Julius Caesar (first performed here).
  • Fate: Burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII.

8. The Fortune (1600)

• Location: Near Whitecross Street and Golden Lane, London.
• Owners: Philip Henslowe and Edward Alleyn.
• Significance:
  • A rival to The Globe, modeled after its design.
  • Closed in 1642 due to Puritan suppression of theatres.

9. The Red Bull (1605)

• Founder: Unknown (attributed to Christopher Beeston).
• Location: Clerkenwell.
• Details: A popular venue for more rowdy, lower-class audiences.

10. The Hope Theatre (1613)

• Location: Southwark, London.
• Builders: Philip Henslowe and Jacob Meade.
• Significance:
  • Built as a dual-purpose venue for plays and bearbaiting.

11. The Second Globe (1614)

• Location: Southwark, London.
• Significance:
  • Rebuilt with a tiled roof after the original Globe burned down in 1613.
  • Continued to be a major venue for the King’s Men.

12. The Cockpit (1616)

• Location: Near Drury Lane, London.
• Builder: Christopher Beeston.
• Significance:
  • Initially a converted cockpit, it was renamed The Phoenix after being rebuilt following riots.

13. Drury Lane Theatre (1663)

• Location: Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London.
• Builder: Thomas Killigrew.
• Significance:
• The first theatre to be officially sanctioned by King Charles II after the Restoration.
• The original building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt multiple times.
• Associated with Steele’s play Funeral, or Grief-a-la-mode.(1701).

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Opposition to Theatres

• Church and Puritans:
  • Theatres were condemned for promoting immorality and anti-social behavior.
  • They were blamed for spreading the plague due to large gatherings.
  • Theatres were ultimately closed in 1642 by the Puritan government.