The Globe Theatre was an open-air playhouse located in London during Shakespeare's time in the late 16th/early 17th century. It was owned by actors including Shakespeare, who had a 20% stake. Plays attracted vast audiences, though they sometimes had to close due to plague outbreaks. The theatre burned down in 1613 when a canon fired during a performance set the thatched roof on fire, destroying the building. It was later rebuilt.