The theatres
were a booming business! The theatres were a new idea, a new
form of entertainment for Londoners
The theatres
attracted huge crowds - up to 3000 people
The theatres
were also used for bear baiting, gambling and for immoral
purpose
They attracted
audiences from all levels of society - the cheapest tickets
were only one penny so most people could afford to go
It appealed to
young people and many apprentices were said to have been
lured to the theatres instead of working
The crowds
attracted thieves, gamblers, pick-pockets, beggars,
prostitutes and all kinds of rogues
Many Londoners
were strict Protestants - Puritans in fact, who abhorred the
theatres and many of the people they attracted
Objections to
the theaters escalated from the Church and the City of
London Officials
Respectable
citizens added even more objections about the rise in crime
and the bawdy nature of some of the plays, fighting,
drinking not to mention the risk of so many people and the
spread of the Bubonic Plague!
THEATRES IN THE CITY OF LONDON
ARE BANNED!
In 1596 London's
authorities were unwilling to ignore the growing complaints
any longer
They banned the
public presentation of plays and all theaters within the
City limits of London
Inns and Taverns
were also banned from showing any plays
All theaters
located in the City were forced to move to the South side of
the River Thames
The London map
of the 1500's shows the City of London featuring the old St.
Paul's Cathedral, the River Thames and the Southbank of the
River
William
Shakespeare and the other actors continued to present
theatrical productions despite the London Authorities and
the Bubonic Plague!
The company of
actors moved to the Swan Theatre on Bankside when London's
authorities banned the public presentation of plays within
the city limits of London
The Southbank
clearly shows the location of the round building of the
Globe Theatre situated next to the Bear Gardens which was
built in 1599
