Theatre’s greatest boom began with an act of exclusion. London authorities feared both disease and the disorder associated with playing companies. Plays were banned in the city in 1572, and actors were formally expelled in 1575.
A theatrical ring beyond London
The ban did not destroy theatre. It redirected it. Builders established playhouses in areas outside the city’s jurisdiction, including Shoreditch, the Clink, and Newington Butts. There, audiences could gather in purpose-built venues without facing the same civic restrictions.
The first permanent English theatre, the Red Lion, opened in 1567 but quickly failed. The Theatre, built in Shoreditch in 1576 by James Burbage and John Brayne, proved more successful. It was followed by the Curtain, Rose, Swan, Globe, Fortune, and Red Bull.
Why permanence mattered
Before permanent playhouses, performances could be temporary or dependent on travel. Fixed venues made drama a continuing commercial enterprise. Acting companies could maintain repertories, attract regular audiences, and develop relationships with theatre owners and patrons.
The Vagabonds Act of 1572 also shaped the industry by making unpatronized itinerant actors liable to prosecution as vagrants. Wealthy sponsors became crucial, while aristocrats gained status by maintaining companies capable of entertaining royal or noble guests.
Theatre therefore grew from pressure rather than permission. A civic attempt to contain actors helped create the stable playhouse network that made England’s dramatic explosion possible.
