The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre in London was where most of William Shakespeare's plays were first presented. Two brothers, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, who owned its predecessor ‘The Theatre’ at Shoreditch in north London, built it in 1599. Before 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed in public primarily at The Theatre, which had been leased by James Burbage, father of Richard. In the winter of 1598 the lease on this theatre was due to expire because of …

…from the Curtain-Drawer of the World, written in 1612: "Each play-house advanceth his flagge in the aire, whither quickly at the waving thereof are summoned whole troops of men, women, and children" (379). The flag continued to wave until the end of each performance. No one knew exactly when they would see the flag again, for the Elizabethan theatre community lived in uncertain times and were at the mercy of harsh weather, plague, and puritanical government officials.