English Theater Origins

English Theater Was Born in the Streets, Not the Palaces

On June 15, 1574, a group of English actors performed a play in the courtyard of the Bell Inn in London, marking the beginning of a new era in English theater. This event was orchestrated by James Burbage, a carpenter and actor who would later build the first permanent theater in London. In the city of London, a specific date and location can be pinpointed as the starting point of English theater.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that English theater originated in the royal courts, with Shakespeare and other playwrights performing for the aristocracy. The standard story goes that theater was a refined and elegant art form, supported by the wealthy and powerful. However, this narrative overlooks the fact that theater was initially a popular form of entertainment among the common people, performed in inns, taverns, and other public spaces.

What History Actually Shows

Historians like E.K. Chambers and G.E. Bentley have extensively researched the origins of English theater, and their findings suggest that the art form was not as refined as previously thought. On December 27, 1594, the Lord Mayor of London wrote to the Privy Council, complaining about the "great disorders" caused by theater performances in the city. According to the historian Philip Henslowe's diary, which chronicles the performances of the Lord Admiral's Men, a theater company, theaters were frequently shut down by authorities for being "immoral" and "subversive". Theaters like the Rose and the Globe were built outside the city walls, in areas like Southwark, to avoid the strict regulations and censorship imposed by the city authorities. By 1600, English theater had become a thriving industry, with companies like the Lord Chamberlain's Men, led by Richard Burbage, performing plays like Shakespeare's "Henry IV" to packed audiences. Theaters were also places where social norms were challenged, and authorities saw them as a threat to public order. Historian Andrew Gurr notes that the theater companies were constantly at odds with the city authorities, who saw them as a source of disorder and immorality. As the theater industry grew, so did the tensions between the actors and the authorities, leading to a series of bans and restrictions that would shape the course of English theater history.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Samuel Johnson and Edmund Malone deliberately omitted details about the theater's early days, focusing instead on its literary achievements. The Lord Chamberlain's Office, responsible for licensing plays, actively destroyed records of the theater's formative years, making it difficult for researchers to reconstruct the past. Specifically, the destruction of the Office's archives in the 18th century eliminated a significant source of information about the theater's development. Furthermore, the Puritan movement's influence on English society led to a suppression of theatrical history, as they viewed the theater as a morally corrupting influence. As a result, the story of the 16th-century Englishmen who invented the theater was gradually erased from the historical record.

The Ripple Effect

The banning of theater from London had a direct impact on the development of theater in other parts of England, as companies were forced to tour the countryside to find audiences. This led to the establishment of regional theater traditions, which continued to thrive long after the ban was lifted. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the existence of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which was founded in part to revive the traditions of English theater that were suppressed during this period. The company's commitment to performing the works of Shakespeare and other English playwrights is a direct result of the efforts of those early theater pioneers who defied the ban and continued to perform despite the risks.

The Line That Says It All

The Lord Mayor of London's 1574 proclamation banning theater from the city marked the beginning of a decades-long struggle for the art form's survival in the face of moral opposition.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to 16th-century English theater and the Puritan movement in England.