Globe Education Online

One of the first purpose-built theatres in London was called the Theatre, built in 1576 by James Burbage in Shoreditch. Its success sparked a flurry of theatre building between the 1570s and 1620s, while many inns were converted to playhouses. In 1577 the Curtain was built in Holywell. Some experts believe that the wooden amphitheatres were modelled on existing bear-baiting arenas and that some playhouses doubled as both.

In 1587 the entrepreneur and money-lender Philip Henslowe built a playhouse on the Southbank called the Rose. Most of what experts know about the theatre of Shakespeare's time is based on the Rose and comes from a theatrical ledger belonging to Henslowe, now referred to as 'the diary'. The Swan, built in 1595, closed down when actors performed a politically offensive play known as The Isle of Dogs; the play is now lost, so it is a mystery as to what could have offended the authorities so much.

In 1597 the lease on the land where Burbage's Theatre was built expired, allowing the landowner, Giles Allen, to force Shakespeare's company out. The case went to court after the company decided to sneak on to the property, dismantle the timbers and transport them accross the Thames to the Southbank, where they spent months rebuilding it. The new theatre opened in the early summer of 1599, and was renamed the Globe. In 1600 Henslowe and his actor son-in-law, Edward Alleyn, moved their company across the river and built the Fortune.

In 1596 James Burbage had purchased part of an old monastery in Blackfriars and converted it into an indoor theatre. This was a small, candlelit space meant to entertain the wealthiest citizens and aristocracy, costing sixpence just to get in. Shakespeare's company didn't move into this theatre until 1609, but once they did, they may have performed exlusively there in the winter; and at the Globe in the summer. The Tempest and The Winter's Tale were perhaps written with this smaller, more intimate venue in mind.

In 1613, Shakespeare's company, the King's Men, were performing Henry VIII, when the wick from a cannon caught the thatched roof on fire and the whole playhouse burned down: 'As gold is better that's in fier try'd/ So is the Bank-side Globe, that late was burn'd' said John Taylor, the water poet. Fortunately, the actors were able to save themsleves and their assets, including the plays of Shakespeare, some of which otherwise may have been lost forever.

In 1614 the second globe was built, this time with a tiled roof. That same year, Henslowe, who was also Master of the Royal Game, built the Hope, a dual-purpose venue serving as a playhouse as well as bear-baiting arena. But by the 1620s the actors (Prince Charles's Men) had moved out, no longer willing to compete with baited bears and rabid dogs for performance time.

By the time the theatres closed in 1642, public tastes had moved towards attending the indoor playhouses, and the large timber structures were a thing of the past, until 1997 when Sam Wannamaker's third Globe was completed.