1.
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
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The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Trevor Nunn and Terry Hands were joint artistic directors of the RSC when the company opened The Swan, designed by Michael Reardon, it has a deep thrust stage, and is a galleried, intimate auditorium holding around 450 people. The space was to be dedicated to playing the works of William Shakespeares contemporaries, the works of European writers, the theatre was launched on 8 May 1986 with a production of The Two Noble Kinsmen by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. It was directed by Barry Kyle, the Swan has subsequently been used for many other types of drama including the works of Chekhov, Ibsen and Tennessee Williams. The Swan Theatre has recently been refurbished as part of the Royal Shakespeare Companys £112.8 million transformation project, improvements to the Swan include re-carpeting of the auditorium on all levels and re-upholstering of seats. The project also enabled a number of changes, so the Swan Theatre now has more storage space and shares back-of-house. The two theatres are linked together for the first time by a new Colonnade, the whole building is now accessible for the first time for all visitors, performers and staff. In 2011 the theatre, won a British Construction Industry Award, the Royal Shakespeare Company, A History of Ten Decades. The Company, A Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Company, A Biographical Dictionary of the RSC, Online database by Simon Trowbridge
2.
Panorama of London
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The city of London has long been a subject for panoramas by artists, mapmakers, and topographers. Many of their works have this as their title, wenceslaus Hollars 1647 Long View of London from Bankside is an exception. Projected from a single viewpoint it resembles the perspective of a panoramic photograph. Amongst the earliest known is that drawn Wyngaerde, produced around 1543, and here shown in 19th-century printed copies
3.
Claes Van Visscher
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Claes Janszoon Visscher was a Dutch Golden Age draughtsman, engraver, mapmaker and publisher. Visscher, who was born and died in Amsterdam, was known as Nicolas Joannes Piscator or Nicolas Joannis Visscher II. He learned the art of etching and printing from his father and it was a family business, Nicolaes Visscher I, and Nicolaes Visscher II were also mapmakers in Amsterdam on the Kalverstraat. This became a successful family business, with collaboration with many respected draughtsmen of the day. A new translation of the bible was underway in the Netherlands, and until then, though probably not a relative, his bible translation was accepted by the Dutch Staten-General in 1602, which only lent more publicity and authenticity to the Fisher name. The trademark of the Visschers was a fisherman, after their name, a small fisherman would be strategically placed somewhere near water. If the subject was a landscape without a stream or pond and their map plates were reused for a century by other printers who unknowingly copied the entire plates, including the tell-tale fishermen. Observant scholars are able to trace the provenance of bibles, maps. Aside from bibles, Claes Visscher II primarily etched and published landscapes, portraits and he etched over 200 plates and his maps included elaborate original borders. He was a publisher of prints by Esaias van de Velde, and David Vinckboons, Claes Jansz Visscher with some etchings in the Rijksmuseum Vermeer and The Delft School, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes material on Claes Jansz. Visscher Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Drawings and Prints, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes material on Claes Jansz
4.
Thrust stage
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In theatre, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between performers and the audience than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area, entrances onto a thrust are most readily made from backstage, although some theatres provide for performers to enter through the audience using vomitory entrances. A theatre in the round, exposed on all sides to the audience, is without a backstage, as with an arena, the audience in a thrust stage theatre may view the stage from three or more sides. A high backed chair, for instance, when placed stage right, the thrust stage is the earliest stage type in western theatre, first appearing in Greek theatres, and its arrangement was continued by the pageant wagon. As pageant wagons evolved into Elizabethan theatre, many of that works, including those of Shakespeare, were performed on theatre with an open thrust stage. The thrust stage concept was generally out of use for centuries and their Festival Theatre was originally under a tent, until a permanent thrust stage theatre facility was constructed in 1957. Since that time dozens of other thrust stage venues have been using the concept. All other Elizabethan Theatres were also in the same style, the Olivier Theatre in the National Theatre, London The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, England The Chichester Festival Theatre. Notable for the fact that the stage is hexagonal, and is surrounded by the audience on four sides, archived from the original on August 9,2013. Mystère theatre diagram Diagram of Cirque du Soleils Mystère theatre Thrust stage diagram
5.
Southwark
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Southwark is a district of Central London and part of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated 1.5 miles east of Charing Cross, it one of the oldest parts of London. It historically formed an ancient borough in the county of Surrey, made up of a number of parishes, as an inner district of London, Southwark experienced rapid depopulation during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. It is now at a stage of regeneration and is the county town of Greater London which is the location of the City Hall offices of the Greater London Authority. Southwark had a population of 30,119 in 2011, Southwark is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudweca. The name means southern defensive work and is formed from the Old English sūth, the southern location is in reference to the City of London to the north, Southwark being at the southern end of London Bridge. The ancient borough of Southwark was also simply as The Borough—or Borough—and this name. Southwark was also referred to as the Ward of Bridge Without when administered by the City. Southwark is on a marshy area south of the River Thames. Recent excavation has revealed prehistoric activity including evidence of ploughing, burial mounds. The area was originally a series of islands in the River Thames and this formed the best place to bridge the Thames and the area became an important part of Londinium owing its importance to its position as the endpoint of the Roman London Bridge. Two Roman roads, Stane Street and Watling Street, met at Southwark in what is now Borough High Street, archaeological work at Tabard Street in 2004 discovered a plaque with the earliest reference to London from the Roman period on it. Londinium was abandoned at the end of the Roman occupation in the fifth century. Archaeologically, evidence of settlement is replaced by a largely featureless soil called the Dark Earth which probably represents an urban area abandoned, Southwark appears to recover only during the time of King Alfred and his successors. Sometime about 886 AD, the burh of Southwark was created and it was probably fortified to defend the bridge and hence the re-emerging City of London to the north. He failed to force the bridge during the Norman conquest of England, Southwark appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as held by several Surrey manors. Southwarks value to the King was £16, much of Southwark was originally owned by the church—the greatest reminder of monastic London is Southwark Cathedral, originally the priory of St Mary Overie. During the early Middle Ages, Southwark developed and was one of the four Surrey towns which returned Members of Parliament for the first commons assembly in 1295
6.
William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet, and the Bard of Avon and his extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a career in London as an actor, writer. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, in his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and it was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as not of an age, but for all time. In the 20th and 21st centuries, his works have been adapted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship. His plays remain highly popular and are studied, performed. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden and he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual date of birth unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholars mistake, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next day, two of Hathaways neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded the marriage, twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596, after the birth of the twins, Shakespeare left few historical traces until he is mentioned as part of the London theatre scene in 1592. The exception is the appearance of his name in the bill of a law case before the Queens Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term 1588 and 9 October 1589
7.
James Burbage
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James Burbage was an English actor, theatre impresario, joiner, and theatre builder in the English Renaissance theatre. He built The Theatre, the first permanent dedicated theatre built in England since Roman times, James Burbage was born about 1531, probably in Bromley in Kent. Burbage took up acting and was the leader of Leicesters Men by 1572, Burbage had various talents, e. g. an actor, builder, and theatre owner, he was heavily involved in groups concerning theater. He was said to be a professional who bridged the gap between late-medieval drama in England and the flowering of the great Elizabethan Theatre. Burbage was described as handsome in appearance, charming in manner, honest, tactful, another professional acquaintance depicted James as more motivated by commerce than by art because of his dependency on financial success. Burbage married Ellen Brayne, the daughter of Thomas Brayne, a London tailor and sister of his business partner John Brayne. They were settled in St. Leonards parish in Shoreditch by 1576, Burbages son Richard Burbage became one of the most celebrated actors of his era. Cuthbert Burbage, Richards elder brother, followed in his fathers footsteps as a theatre manager, James Burbage was buried in Shoreditch on 2 February 1597. Having previously given his Blackfriars property to his son Richard and his property to his grandson Cuthbert. In 1576, Burbage and his partner John Brayne decided to create a new and it was one of the first permanent theatres to be built in London since the time of the Romans. Brayne was Burbages brother-in-law and was considered a wealthy man and it was his investment that allowed The Theatre to be built, with the two sharing the profits equally. Financial difficulties led Burbage and Brayne to stage plays in the building construction was complete. Despite partnering with John Brayne, the lease of The Theatres site was signed by Burbage alone on 13 April 1576, since Burbage owned the lease, he also received rent money for properties on the site. Under this lease, he paid roughly £14 a year, the exact builder of The Theatre is unknown, though a likely candidate is James Burbages brother Robert, who was a carpenter. In 1594, a Privy Council order created the Lord Chamberlains Men, Burbage was very confident that spectators would come to The Theatre, even if they had to go through open fields to get there. One contemporary of the referred to people streaming out of the city to see the plays there. The Theatre was considered a classical name. It was made mostly of wood, with ironwork scattered throughout, there was a tiring house for the players, and galleries and luxury seats providing better viewing and privacy
8.
The Theatre
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The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch, just outside the City of London. It was the permanent theatre ever built in England, after the Red Lion. Built by actor-manager James Burbage, near the home in Holywell Street. The Theatres history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlains Men, after a dispute with the landlord, the theatre was dismantled and the timbers used in the construction of the Globe Theatre on Bankside. The Mayor and Corporation of London banned plays in 1572 as a measure against the plague, in 1575 they formally expelled all players from the city. The Theatre was constructed in 1576 by James Burbage in partnership with his brother-in-law, one John Brayne, Brayne had advanced Burbage the money needed to build The Theatre, and in return, Brayne received a portion of the profits and owned some of the property. The Theatre was in Shoreditch, beyond the boundary of the City of London and outside the jurisdiction of civil authorities. This area in the suburbs of sin was notorious for licentious behaviour, brothels, a year later the Curtain Theatre was built nearby, making the area Londons first theatrical and entertainment district. Throughout the building of The Theatre, Burbage and Brayne continually became indebted to each other, to fix this they constructed schemes to keep the building of The Theatre going. One of their schemes was to put on plays in The Theatre while it was still being built, although Burbages son later claimed the Theatre as the first permanent playhouse in the London conurbation, it may not have been the first permanent theatre to serve Londoners. The Newington Butts playhouse may have built as early as 1575, certainly actor Jerome Savage renewed a lease on the site on 25 March 1576. The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors and/or bear baiting pits, the building was a polygonal wooden building with three galleries surrounding an open yard. From one side of the polygon extended a thrust stage, the Theatre is said to have cost £700 to construct, which is a considerable sum for the age. The open yard in front of the stage was cobbled and provided standing room for those who paid a penny, for another penny, the attendees were allowed into the galleries where they could either stand or, for a third penny, procure a stool. One of the galleries, though sources do not state which, was divided into compartments that could be used by the wealthy. The playhouse was a building with a tile roof, other materials used to construct the Theatre were brick, sand, lime, lead. Owing to a lack of paperwork not much is known about the Theatre’s appearance. The Theatre opened in the autumn of 1576, possibly as a venue for Leicesters Men, in the 1580s the Admirals Men, of which James Burbages son, Richard was a member, took up residence
9.
Curtain Theatre
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The Curtain Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Hewett Street, Shoreditch, just outside the City of London. It opened in 1577, and continued staging plays until 1624, the Curtain was built some 200 yards south of Londons first playhouse, The Theatre, which had opened a year before, in 1576. Its remains were rediscovered in archaeological excavation in 2012, the most significant find was that the Curtain was rectangular not round. They found a 14m stage, and evidence of a tunnel under the stage, finds included a ceramic bird whistle, ceramic money boxes for collecting entry fees, beads possibility decorating stage costumes and a small statue of Bacchus. The Curtain Theatre was built in 1577 in Shoreditch, and was Londons second playhouse, little is known of the companies that performed there, or of the plays they performed. The first clear mention of the Curtain is in 1584, when the City of London petitioned the parish of Shoreditch to shut down their playhouses and it was the venue of several of Shakespeares plays, including Romeo and Juliet and Henry V. In this latter play the somewhat undistinguished Curtain gains immortal fame by being described by Shakespeare as this wooden O, the Lord Chamberlains Men also performed Ben Jonsons Every Man in His Humour here in 1598, with Shakespeare in the cast. Later that same year Jonson gained a certain notoriety by killing actor Gabriel Spencer in a duel in nearby Hoxton Fields, the Lord Chamberlains Men departed the Curtain when the Globe Theatre, which they built to replace the Theatre, was ready for use in 1599. For seven years Henry Lanman had an agreement with James Burbage that all profit would be shared between them and this deal is how many believe Lanman was able to afford to open the Curtain, the rest is all very unclear. J. Thomas Pope, one of the Lord Chamberlains Men, owned a share in the Curtain and left it to his heirs in his last will, kings Men member John Underwood did the same in 1624. The fact that both of these belonged to Shakespeares company may indicate that the re-organization of the Curtain occurred when the Lord Chamberlains Men were acting there. Otherwise, it would be very unwise of Burbage to pool profits if he did better in the first place, thus, the suggestion is given that both proprietors were doing equal business. Burbages father Richard had shares in the theatre at the time of his death, the London theatres, including the Curtain, were closed for much of the period from September 1592 to April 1594 due to the bubonic plague. In 1597, people wrote to the magistrates court demanding that no plays take place at the Curtain or the Theatre that year. The Curtain was named in John Stows Survey of London in 1598, in 1600, the Privy Council tried unsuccessfully to shut down the Curtain theatre, and in 1603, the Curtain became the playhouse of Queen Annes Men. In 1607, The Travels of the Three English Brothers, by Rowley, Day, the Curtain was in use from 1577 until at least 1624, after which its ultimate fate is obscure as there is no record of it after 1627. The reasons for its closure are not known, the Curtain was believed to have been built near The Theatre, but the exact location was for many years unknown. However, a plaque was erected at 18 Hewett Street
10.
Newington Butts
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Newington Butts is a former hamlet, now an area of the London Borough of Southwark, that gives its name to a segment of the A3 road running south-west from the Elephant and Castle junction. The road continues as Kennington Park Road leading to Kennington, a right is Kennington Lane. It is believed to take its name from an archery butts, the area gave its name to an Elizabethan theatre which saw the earliest recorded performances of some Shakespearean plays. The Middle English word butt referred to a strip of land. The 1955 Survey of London published by London County Council could find no reference to archery butts in Newington although the connection is mentioned elsewhere. The name may have derived from the triangle of land between the roads, as the word butts is used elsewhere in Surrey to refer to odd corners or ends of land. Newington was a village that grew up on the Walworth Road at its junction with the Portsmouth Road. Being outside the jurisdiction of the City of London it became home to such as plays that were banned near London during hot weather. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the triangle of ground between the roads was known as the Three Falcons and was copyhold of the manor of Walworth, in 1791 the leading scientist Michael Faraday was born at Newington Butts. In 1802, Thomas Hardwick reported that the estate consisted of a number of tenements in bad condition. In the spring of 2008, St Marys Churchyard, the open space on the northern border of Newington Butts, was given a face lift. The largely grassy area now contains a childrens playground, dotted about within the playground and on the grass elsewhere are concrete mounds with rubber surfaces which were designed to add interest and topography to the developed area. These mounds might recall archery butts but this has been denied by the Elephant, in Cockney rhyming slang, Newington Butts means guts. 320–329, ISBN 978-0-521-23012-4 transcribes the original manuscripts relating to Newington Butts playhouse, Shakespearean Playhouses, by Joseph Quincy Adams, Jr. from Project Gutenberg Newington Butts, Kennington photograph, c
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