United Company

The succession of William III and Mary II in 1689 brought no Royal patronage and a decline in interest in theatre.

[1] The company formed a monopoly of theatre in London, and this left both actors and playwrights in a weak position in respect to the management.

He was described "as sly a Tyrant as ever was at the Head of a Theatre," and the senior actors including Elizabeth Barry, Thomas Betterton and Anne Bracegirdle, with twelve other players left to form their own collaborative company.

Architect and dramatist John Vanbrugh raised a subscription, probably amongst members of the Kit-Kat Club, offering "to recover them" (that is Betterton's company), "therefore, to their due Estimation, a new Project was form'd of building them a stately Theatre in the Hay-Market, by Sir John Vanbrugh, for which he raised a Subscription of thirty Persons of Quality, at one hundred Pounds each, in Consideration whereof every Subscriber, for his own Life, was to be admitted to whatever Entertainments should be publickly perform'd there, without farther Payment for his Entrance.

"[2] He was joined in the enterprise by his principal associate and manager William Congreve, and the actors' co-operative led by Thomas Betterton.