The Theatre

The Mayor and Corporation of London banned plays in 1572 as a measure against the plague, not wanting to attract crowds of strangers.

[2] This prompted the construction of playhouses outside the jurisdiction of London, in the liberties of Halliwell/Holywell in Shoreditch and later the Clink, and at Newington Butts near the established entertainment district of St. George's Fields in rural Surrey.

[2] The Theatre was constructed in 1576 by James Burbage in partnership with his brother-in-law, one John Brayne, (the owner of the Red Lion)[3] on property that had originally been the grounds of the dissolved Halliwell Priory (or Holywell).

A year later, the Curtain Theatre was built nearby, making the area London's first theatrical and entertainment district.

[12] The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors and/or bear baiting pits.

[13] The open yard in front of the stage was cobbled and provided standing room for those who paid a penny.

The playhouse was a timber building with a tile roof; other materials used to construct the Theatre were brick, sand, lime, lead, and iron.

Poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare was also in the employ of the company and some of his early plays had their première at The Theatre.

Numerous performances before Queen Elizabeth followed, and Shakespeare doubtless often accompanied Burbage on many subsequent professional visits to one or other of the royal palaces.

Consequently, in 1597, the Lord Chamberlain's Men were forced to stop playing at The Theatre and moved to the nearby Curtain.

"[14] At the time of Margaret Brayne's death there were still lawsuits that had not been settled, and in her last will and testament she left all of her prospective winnings to Robert Myles.

Cuthbert paid and outright owned the lease now, ultimately squeezing Margaret Brayne out of the business.

[7] In August 2008, archaeologists from the Museum of London excavating in New Inn Broadway, Shoreditch, announced that they had found the foundation of a polygonal structure they believed to be the remains of the north-eastern corner of The Theatre.

[17][18][19] The Theatre and Shakespeare's involvement with it are commemorated by two plaques on 86–90 Curtain Road,[20] the building at the corner with New Inn Yard currently occupied by a Foxtons office.