Four Centuries of Shakespearean Production

F.E. Halliday finds that every age, from the first Elizabethan to the present one, has evolved its own methods of producing Shakespeare; sometimes with results that might have surprised the dramatist.

When Shakespeare was a schoolboy of twelve, James Burbage built the first English theatre in the north London suburb of Shoreditch. He called it The Theatre, for that is what it was, The Theatre, the only one in the country, and it was here that Shakespeare’s first plays were staged, with Burbage’s son, Richard, as the leading actor. That was in the early 1590’s; but meanwhile a rival theatre had been built on the south bank of the Thames, the Rose, where Edward Alleyn played the titanic heroes in Marlowe’s tragedies. In 1595 came the Swan, also on Bankside, and in 1599 Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain’s, built the Globe next door to the Rose.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.