BBC News reports that archaeologists digging in the Shoreditch region of east London have discovered the remains of the first theater in which playwright William Shakespeare shared ownership. Until now, the exact location where the theater stood, adjacent to what is now the Museum of London, was lost to history. Scholars have long known what happened to the playhouse itself, however: it was dismantled piece-by-piece and taken away on wagons over four dark and blustery December days in 1598. In a word, Shakespeare's theater was stolen.
The story begins, not with Shakespeare, but with a fellow player in the acting troupe of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, James Burbage, who was employed as a carpenter up until he was 'discovered' by the Earl of Leicester. Under the Earl's patronage, Burbage became one of the outstanding stage actors of the era, and his carpentry skills also proved to be invaluable, as he helped build the troupe's theater. After Burbage died, his two sons inherited their father's share of the building, which was simply called, the Theater.
The Theater loses its lease
By this time, Shakespeare owned a share in the acting company, and was involved in its day-to-day management, including lease negotiations with landowner Giles Allen. After negotiating in good faith for over a year and a half, the Burbages and Shakespeare could not convince him to renew the lease. In fact, Allen had never planned to renew it, hoping to reclaim the property and put it to some use that might attract a better clientele.
As a new playhouse would have been prohibitively expensive to rebuild, the owners were desperate to find any loophole to enable them keep it open. Besides, while the Theater may have been sitting on Allen's land, it was a Burbage legacy, and they were not about to turn it over without a fight. Serendipity struck when a contract clause revealed the solution, stating that the structure itself was theirs to remove, "to take down, and carry away to [their] own proper use."
The players dismantle the theater
So it was that on a freezing cold night in 1598, three days after Christmas, the Burbage brothers--and their mother, who was eager to witness the misdeeds--met a small group of stage employees at the Shoreditch theater for the purpose of dismantling their father's building and carrying it away.
Giles Allen was furious when he discovered the building had disappeared. He later reconstructed the scene for a legal suit: Burbage and his men did "riotously assemble themselves, armed with "swords daggers billes axes and such like" with the effect of "great disturbance and terrefyeing" of the locals. The judge, who was not swayed by Allen's dramatic language, decided in favor of the Burbages.
Rebuilding the Globe Theater
Reconstruction began almost immediately on the new playhouse on a piece of land leased by the Burbages on the Southwark side of the Thames River, which would eventually open as the Globe Theater. Today, a replica stands on a site nearby.
As for the Theater recently re-discovered? From the ruins will rise the Tower Theater Company, a 21st century playhouse, promises the Museum of London. What would Shakespeare say about all the fuss? Probably not much. After all, "the play's the thing," and "all the world's a stage."
Sources
Ackroyd, Peter. Shakespeare: The Biography. New York: Anchor, 2006.
"BBC NEWS | UK | England | London | The Bard's 'first theatre' found." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 6 Aug. 2008. 22 Aug. 2008 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7544616.stm>.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.
The story begins, not with Shakespeare, but with a fellow player in the acting troupe of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, James Burbage, who was employed as a carpenter up until he was 'discovered' by the Earl of Leicester. Under the Earl's patronage, Burbage became one of the outstanding stage actors of the era, and his carpentry skills also proved to be invaluable, as he helped build the troupe's theater. After Burbage died, his two sons inherited their father's share of the building, which was simply called, the Theater.
The Theater loses its lease
By this time, Shakespeare owned a share in the acting company, and was involved in its day-to-day management, including lease negotiations with landowner Giles Allen. After negotiating in good faith for over a year and a half, the Burbages and Shakespeare could not convince him to renew the lease. In fact, Allen had never planned to renew it, hoping to reclaim the property and put it to some use that might attract a better clientele.
As a new playhouse would have been prohibitively expensive to rebuild, the owners were desperate to find any loophole to enable them keep it open. Besides, while the Theater may have been sitting on Allen's land, it was a Burbage legacy, and they were not about to turn it over without a fight. Serendipity struck when a contract clause revealed the solution, stating that the structure itself was theirs to remove, "to take down, and carry away to [their] own proper use."
The players dismantle the theater
So it was that on a freezing cold night in 1598, three days after Christmas, the Burbage brothers--and their mother, who was eager to witness the misdeeds--met a small group of stage employees at the Shoreditch theater for the purpose of dismantling their father's building and carrying it away.
Giles Allen was furious when he discovered the building had disappeared. He later reconstructed the scene for a legal suit: Burbage and his men did "riotously assemble themselves, armed with "swords daggers billes axes and such like" with the effect of "great disturbance and terrefyeing" of the locals. The judge, who was not swayed by Allen's dramatic language, decided in favor of the Burbages.
Rebuilding the Globe Theater
Reconstruction began almost immediately on the new playhouse on a piece of land leased by the Burbages on the Southwark side of the Thames River, which would eventually open as the Globe Theater. Today, a replica stands on a site nearby.
As for the Theater recently re-discovered? From the ruins will rise the Tower Theater Company, a 21st century playhouse, promises the Museum of London. What would Shakespeare say about all the fuss? Probably not much. After all, "the play's the thing," and "all the world's a stage."
Sources
Ackroyd, Peter. Shakespeare: The Biography. New York: Anchor, 2006.
"BBC NEWS | UK | England | London | The Bard's 'first theatre' found." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 6 Aug. 2008. 22 Aug. 2008 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7544616.stm>.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005.
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