The Theatre

This article is about a specific theatre in London. For the theatre in Leeds, see The Theatre, Leeds. For the theatre in Oxfordshire, see The Theatre Chipping Norton. For information on theatre in general, see Theatre. For other uses, see Theatre (disambiguation).

Ground plan of The Theatre. Now marked by paved streets, the "common sewer" is Curtain Road, and the "ditch from the horse-pond" is New Inn Yard[1]
The Theatre is labelled in the top right of this London street map. Enlarge

The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. Built in 1576, after the Red Lion, it was the first permanent theatre built exclusively for the showing of theatrical productions in England, and its first successful one. Actor-manager James Burbage built it near the family home in Holywell Street. The Theatre's history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which employed Shakespeare as actor and playwright. After a dispute with the landlord, the theatre was dismantled and the timbers used in the construction of the Globe Theatre on Bankside.

  1. ^ Curtain Road & New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3AA, UK