Rose Theatre

Rose Theatre, London, in Rose Alley, off Southwark Bridge Road. This theatre, 94 ft. square, constructed of wood and plaster on a brick foundation, octagonal in shape, and partly thatched, opened in 1587. It was built for Philip Henslowe and his partner and stood in an area known as the Liberty of the Clink on the site of a former rose garden, about halfway between the later Globe theatres and Hope theatres. It is not known which company first played there, but in 1592, after extensive repairs had been done and alterations made, Strange's Men were there, and from 1594 the Admiral's Men, under Henslowe's son-in-law Alleyn, used it almost exclusively until they moved to the Fortune in 1600. Several of Marlowe's plays were first performed there, as probably was Shakespeare's Henry VI, according to Henslowe's accounts a highly profitable venture. After the departure of Alleyn, several companies used it, notably Pembroke's Men and Worcester's Men, the latter (as Queen Anne's Men) being still in residence in 1604, just before Henslowe's lease expired. The building may then have been used for some kind of amusement, but not for plays, and it was pulled down the following year. Parts of the site were exposed during development work in 1989.