The Globe Theater was built in 1599 in London by Cuthbert Burbage after inheriting and tearing down his father James Burbage's previous theater called The Theater. The Globe was constructed in only 6 months and had a capacity of 2,000-3,000 spectators. It was owned jointly by Cuthbert Burbage and five members of Shakespeare's playing company. Though open-air with no lighting, the Globe was a great success until it burned down in 1613 during a performance when a cannon misfired. It was rebuilt in 1614 but was finally closed in 1644 when the Puritans banned all theater.

1. The Globe Theater
Cuthbert Burbage
o In 1597, inherited a London theatre, called the Theater
 Built in 1576 by James Burbage (Cuthbert’s father)
o Tore down theater because Richard, Cuthbert’s brother, could not get a
renewal of the land lease, which was owned by James
o Used the scraps and building materials to construct Globe Theater
Globe Theater
o Opened in 1599: Bankside, Southwark, London and only took 6 months to
build!
o Lease divided into two
 50%- Cuthbert and Richard Burbage
 50%- Five of Chamberlain’s men: play company that Shakespeare
worked with
John Heminge, Augustine Philips, Thomas Pope, Will
Kempe, and William Shakespeare
o Was a great success- Fun fact: Globe theater had to close on Thursdays to
allow the bear and bull baiting industry to attract customers as well!
o Structure:
 Total capacity: 2,000-3,000 spectators
 Stage: 43 feet wide, 27/28 feet deep, 5 feet high
 Weather dependent: no lighting, most of Globe and all of its stage
was open air

2.  Low quality: difficult to hear
Actors needed to stress their enunciations, shout their lines,
and perform exaggerated theatrical gestures
 Scenes were not changed
The actors used costumes and props, but there were no scene
changes during curtain closings.
o Closings:
 Black Death- 1603 and 1608
Fun fact: William Shakespeare and other important actors
fled the area when the Bubonic Plague hit to stay safe while
hoping for the theaer to reopen!
 Burned down- June 29, 1613
During a performance of Henry VIII, a cannon missed its
target and hit a wooden beam, took less than two hours to
burn down
There were no deaths
o Rebuilding
 1614, with new tiles instead of flammable roof tops
o Final
 Closed down by Puritans- April 15, 1644
Had strict religious views
English Parliament issued an ordinance to suppress all theater
activities

3. Used land to build houses
Fun fact: the Globe had different colored flags for each performance
Black- tragedy; White- comedy; Red- history