James Burbage

"[1] Burbage was described as handsome in appearance, charming in manner, honest, tactful, and witty by Sir Robert Dudley, patron of Leicester's Men.

[2] Another professional acquaintance depicted James as more motivated by commerce than by art because of his dependency on financial success.

[3] It was his personal experience of a traveling actor's life that prompted him to establish the Theatre in Shoreditch in 1576[3] which he built with a loan from his brother-in-law John Brayne.

In 1576, Burbage and his partner John Brayne decided to create a new, permanent stage for London acting groups.

[6] It was his investment (and the mortgage Burbage took out on the lease of the grounds) that allowed The Theatre to be built, with the two sharing the profits equally.

[8] Despite partnering with John Brayne, the lease of The Theatre's site was signed by Burbage alone on 13 April 1576, to begin on 25 March 1576.

The exact builder of The Theatre is unknown, though a likely candidate is James Burbage's brother Robert, who was a carpenter.

In 1594, a Privy Council order created the Lord Chamberlain's Men and gave it exclusive rights to play in the City of London at The Theatre.

It was built by Henry Lanman (or Laneham), who had a close business relationship with Burbage and his associates.

However, in November 1596, the residents of the district, led by Lady Elizabeth Russell,[3] petitioned and managed to win a ban on play performances at the theatre.