History of Theatre in England
Theatre has always been a popular form of entertainment for thousands of years. The earlier forms were performed in taverns or courtyrads, This soon accelerated to troupes of actors going from town to town an performing at mansions where they would exchange entertainment for food and a place to stay that night. These were called traveling Troupes. They had a reputation of being rambunctious and untrustworthy. But when the first theatre opened in London in 1576, people made it part of their daily routine to watch a performance. The first theaters that were opened were called "playhouses". They were open to the public, and could hold about 3,000 people. Outbreaks of the Black Death were common in the Elizabethan era. and large crowds coming together in close proximity wasn't exactly sanitary. In 1593 all theatres were closed until the Black Death had died down. The theatres were eventually opened again. But in 1648, all theatres were ordered to be torn down by the Puritants, and anyone who was caught acting would be whipped and tortured. Anyone who was seen going to a play would be fined 5 shillings.