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| The Swan Theater in 1596 |
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| The Curtain Theater in 1577 |
The first playhouse in London was "The Red Lion" built in 1567 by John Brayne who converted the Red Lion inn in Stepney (located outside the city into a theater). But it survived only for a few months. Many more playhouses were built between 1570s and 1620s. In 1576 Brayne and James Burbage (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) built "The Theater" at Shoreditch. James Burbage himself was an actor associated with the "Earl of Leister's Men" and acted in "The Theater" during the first two years of its establishment. The "Newington Butts Theater" was built in the 1577.
After this five more theaters were built to meet the growing demand of the people who showed keen interest in watching plays. No remains of the "Theater" remain now. The site is marked by a plaque at 88-86, Curtain Road. "The Swan Theater" in Southwark was built between 1594 and 1596. It was the fourth in the series of the large playhouses in London after James Burbage's "Theater", Henry Lanman's "The Curtain" (1577) and Philip Henslowe's "The Rose" (1587-1588). Francis Langley built "The Swan" on the west end of the Bank Side in 1595-96. It was the finest and largest of the London theaters. In 1597 in "Swan", the acting company "Pembroke's Men" staged the infamous play "The Isle of Dogs" written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson. Both were imprisoned along with the actor Gabriel Spenser. The playhouse was temporarily closed. In 1632 it was finally closed down.
In 1613 Philip Henslowe built the new "Hope Theater" modelled after "Swan Theater" rather than his own theater "The Rose" as it appeared out of style in comparison. Shakespeare's company, " Lord Chamberlain's Men " played at "The Theater", "The Curtain" and "The Globe". They also played at the Court for Queen Elizabeth I and later for James I. They toured and acted in the courtyards of inns like "The Bull Inn", "The White Hart Inn" and "The Cross Keys Inn", especially between 1576 and 1594. After 1609 during winter time they played at the "Black Friars" indoor theater. Shakespeare's earliest plays were staged at "The Rose" theater.
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| Black Friars in 1596 |
The "Black Friars" theater located in Ludgate Hill on the northern banks of the Thames was built by James Burbage in 1596 on the grounds of a former monastery. After his death in 1597 it was bequeathed to his two sons, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage. As it was located in the area where wealthy and respectable people lived, there was stiff opposition from people against adult actors staging plays. So Richard Burbage leased it Henry Evans who used child actors "The Children of the Chapel" (a commercial enterprise) to present plays to entertain royal and aristocratic people between 1600 and 1608. Even before the establishment of this theater, some parts of the monastery were used for acting by boys between 1576 and 1584.
Soon after James I ascended the throne in 1603, he supported "The Chamberlain's Men" who called themselves as "King's Men". They took on lease the "Black Friars" from Richard and Cuthbert Burbage for a period of 21 years, with each member of the group a seventh share. Shakespeare was also one of its members. He also bought a house a short walk away from the "Black Friars" in Ireland Yard in 1613. After making some renovations, from 1609 onward, "The King's Men" were allowed to perform for a select audience. They performed at "Black Friars" for seven months during winter and continued to act at "The Globe" during summer season. "The Black Friars" was an indoor theater with an area of 69x49 ft. with two or three galleries and had stage boxes or balconies adjacent to the stage balcony. It had a seating capacity of about seven hundred people. But it was equipped with better stage devices, lighting arrangement, and best musicians. The plays of many famous Jacobean dramatists such as Ben Jonson, John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. were performed at Black Friars. During the civil war in 1642 the Puritans closed the Black Friars Theater. Ultimately it was demolished on 6th August in 1655.The site is still commemorated by the playhouse yard close to the Apothecaries Hall.
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| William Shakespeare (1564--1616) |
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| Ben Jonson (1572--1637) |
"The Globe Theater" was built by Shakespeare's company "Lord Chamberlain's Men" in 1599 on the land owned by Thomas Brend inherited by his son Nicholas Brend and later by his grandson Matthew Brend.
The Globe Theater was owned by actors who were also share holders. Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert owned 25% of shares each. Shakespeare, John Hemminges, Augustine Philips and Thomas Pope owned a single share or 12.5% each. Shakespeare's share gradually diminished from 1/8 to 1/14 or roughly to 7% during the course of his career.
"The Globe Theater" was built using the timber of an earlier playhouse "The Theater" built by James Burbage, (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) in Shoreditch in 1576. After the expiry of the lease the timber and other materials were dismantled and shifted to the new site from Shoreditch to build this theater in1599 with the intention of competing with "The Rose Theater" established by the "Admiral's Men" on the Bankside in Southwark. The original Globe Theater was a three-story building shaped like a circular polygon with twenty sides. At the base of the stage there is a pit or open space with rushes strewn on the earthen floor. A large layer of nutshells was pressed into the dirt so as to form a new surface layer. Nearly one thousand stood in the pit to watch the play. A rectangular stage platform (apron stage) was thrust into the middle of the open air yard. The stage was 43 feet in width and 27 feet in depth and was five feet above ground. There was a trap-door on the stage for performers to enter from the cellar area. There were three rows of gallery seats to accommodate nearly two thousand spectators. There were two or three doors on the main stage with a curtained inner stage and a balcony above it. This balcony above the stage was flanked by two other balconies meant for the wealthy people to be seen (nowadays called box) . The doors led the way to a tiring room behind (backstage area) where the actors dressed and awaited their entrances. The ceiling under the roof was called "The Heavens" painted with clouds to look like the sky. A trap door in the sky enabled the actors to descend on to the stage using some form of harness and ropes.
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| The Globe Theater in 1599 |
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| The Hercules Hanging at the Globe Theater |
The motto of the Globe Theater was "Totus Mundus agit histrionem" that means "The whole world is a playhouse." John Hemminges, who compiled Shakespeare's first folio became the theater's manager.The first play in the new theater was Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" on 21st September, 1599. Shakespeare's lost play "Cardenio" was staged in 1612 and Henry VIII in 1613. To announce the performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", a flag with Hercules carrying a globe on his shoulders was displayed in the new theater. During the performance of "Henry VIII" on 29th June, 1613, due to the misfiring of a theatrical cannon the wooden beams and thatched roof caught fire. None was hurt. A man's burning breeches were put out with a bottle of ale. "The Globe" was re-built in June,1614. In 1642 the Globe Theater was closed during the Puritan rule. In 1644 it was pulled down to make room for building tenements.
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| Sam Wanamaker (1919--1993) |
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| Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014 |
The newly constructed Globe Theater that we see now is nearly 750 feet away from the original site. The style of construction of Sam Wanamaker's Playhouse (indoor theater) at Shakespeare's Globe we see now, is similar to the layout of the Black Friars Theater. "Sam Wanamaker Playhouse" was designed by the famous architect, Jon Greenfield in collaboration with Allies and Morrison. Nearly 7.5 million pounds were spent to construct this theater, which was opened in 2014. This construction serves as a glowing tribute to Sam Wanamaker (the eminent American Actor and Director) who made great efforts in doing research and spent a major part of his wealth in construction of the present day Globe Theater. All of us are very much indebted to his most valuable and noble work of sacrifice and earnest dedication in re-construction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater.
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29th August, 2015 Somaseshu Gutala
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