Overview

Theatre in England for many begins with the 1660 Restoration. The Guide to Shakespearean London Theatres tells the earlier but less known story of developments without which Restoration theatre would have been impossible. Between 1567 and 1642, when with Civil War looming,Parliament closed all playhouses, London's early theatre rose and flourished. The story of the entrepreneurs,playwrights, playing companies and audiences who flocked to be entertained in London's first theatres -- all within a 2-mile radius of St Paul's-- is told in this Guide.