The Theatre

The Theatre was built in fifteen seventy-six as the very first permanent structure in England designed solely for professional theatrical performances. Its creator, an actor-manager named James Burbage, chose this specific location in Shoreditch to operate outside the jurisdiction of London city officials, who frequently banned plays to prevent the spread of disease or public disorder. By placing his playhouse in these northern suburbs, Burbage effectively established the area as London’s original entertainment district. The building itself was a fourteen-sided polygon, standing as a bold, purpose-built gamble in a neighborhood better known at the time for taverns, gaming houses, and brothels.