Elizabethan theatre emerged in London in the late 16th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603. The first theatres were either inn yards or great halls within the city, but civic authorities grew unhappy with crowds gathering. Within two years, large groups were already gathering in the suburbs outside the city walls to see plays. While the drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries is now regarded as one of the greatest artistic achievements, players were seen as criminals in their own time and theatres scandalous. Theatre drew crowds from almost all classes except Puritans in the afternoon for entertainment.

1. ELIZABETHAN THEATRE

2. HistorySome 400 years ago, Queen Elizabeth was on the English throne and she reigned for a long period from 1558 to 1603 – 45 years in all. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and he died in 1616, so he was essentially an Elizabethan, though he survived the Queen by 13 years.The City of London then was rather like a small town of today. The river dominated the scene and there was only one way to cross it: London Bridge.

3. FirsttheatresThe first theatres for Elizabethan drama where of two kinds: Inn-yards and Great Halls, and both influenced the later playhouses. However, the civic authorities of London where unhappy with playing in the streets and inn-yards of the city proper, but within two years they were already complaining about the ‘great multitudes of people’ gathering out in the ‘liberties and suburbs’ of the city, outside the city walls.

4. PlayhousesAlmost classes of citizens, exceptthe Puritans, came for afternoonentertaiment. Wenowregardthe drama of Shakespeare and hiscontemporanies as one of thesupremeartisticarchievements in literaryhistory. Yet, in itsowndayitwasviewed as a scandal and anoutrage. In fact, playersweredefined as vagabonds, criminals subject to arrest and whipping. Butlet’sfind out a bit more on suchanexcitingsubject!