Theatre, The

Theatre, The, the first—and most appropriately named—playhouse to be erected in London, built by James Burbage. Because of opposition from the Lord Mayor of London to actors appearing in innyards, it had to be erected outside the City boundary, and was situated between Finsbury Fields and the public road from Bishopsgate to Shoreditch Church. Some of the money for its construction came from Burbage's father-in-law, probably an actor. It was a circular wooden building, without a roof, and cost between £600 and £700. The actual dimensions are not known, but the building was apparently commodious, with three galleries and what would now be described as boxes. It opened in 1576. Admission was one penny for standing room on the ground and a second penny for admission to the galleries; for a further penny one could obtain a stool, or what was described as a ‘quiet standing’. Although the authorities disapproved, the public appear to have flocked to the new theatre, but its career, though stormy, was not very distinguished theatrically. It was used for competitions of sword-play, fencing, quarterstaff, and athletic exercises, and by a number of different companies until in 1594 the Chamberlain's Men took over. Plays performed there may have included the original Hamlet, on which Shakespeare based his play, and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Tarleton and Kempe also performed ‘jigges and drolls’ there. In spite of good audiences, there was little profit on the Theatre and continual harassment from the authorities, so when in 1597, just after James's death, the lease ran out, his son Cuthbert pulled the building down, transported the timber and other materials across the river to Bankside, and used them to build a new theatre (see GLOBE 1).