Boar's Head Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Boar's Head Theatre was an inn-yard theatre
in London
from 1598 to around 1616. During its lifetime as a playhouse, it was home to the Earl of Derby's Men
(summer 1599-summer 1601, summer 1602-March 1603), the Earl of Worcester's Men
(summer 1601-summer 1602, April 1604-1605 or 1606), and Prince Charles' Men (summer 1609-March 1616); the historian Herbert Berry suggests that many other unidentified companies could have played there, as well.
, London, on the north side of Whitechapel High Street
. Berry notes that "it became a playhouse partly because of where it was — just outside the City of London
… a few feet beyond the ordinary jurisdiction of the lord mayor and his aldermen."
Prior to 1598, the Boar's Head was simply an inn and did not include any formal playing space. On November 28, 1594, Jane and Henry Poley, who owned the inn, entered a lease agreement with Oliver and Susan Woodliffe. The agreement began on March 25, 1595 and ended on March 24, 1616 and included a promise to spend £100 during the following seven years to build, among other things, a tiring house and a stage.
In 1598, a primitive stage was built in the middle of the yard, measuring 39 in 7 in (12.07 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m). The audience stood mostly in the yard, as the galleries were not big enough to accommodate a large audience. In 1599, Woodliffe and Richard Samwell (who had leased the inn in 1598 from Woodliffe; Woodliffe remained landlord of the theatre) took down the primitive stage setup and built a new playhouse apparently meant to compete with Shakespeare's Globe
, which had just opened on the other side of the Thames. As Leggatt states, "the stage — essentially the same stage — was moved to the west wall so that actors could entire directly on to it from the tiring house, a roof was built over the stage, and the galleries were considerably expanded and roofed with tiles."
Berry lists a number of plays that can be associated with the Boar's Head during its heyday, although he is careful to note that "we cannot show that any surviving plays were unquestionably written for performance at the Boar's Head." He lists "two plays that may well have been written for performance at the Boar's Head":
Also listed are six plays that are less likely to have been written specifically for performance at the Boar's Head but that were published as having belonged to the Queen's men and Prince Charles's men at the time of their respective stints at the Boar's Head:
In 1616, the lease agreement between the Woodliffes and the Poleys (now controlled by Mrs. Poley's heir, Sir John Poley) expired. By this time, the Prince's Men had merged with Lady Elizabeth's Men and had entered into an agreement to play in the Hope Theatre
on Bankside
. Sisson suggests that Poley "found it more profitable to develop the buildings and site of the Boar's head, or to dispose of it to a speculator, for other purposes than those of an inn and a theatre, in the rapid growth of this residential and industrial suburb of London.".
, Fortune
, and others, but, except for the stage, mostly a scheme of additions and alterations to existing buildings originally meant for very different uses." These other sections included various lodgings, stables, gardens, barns, and, thankfully for its customers, a privy.
Interestingly, the Boar's Head featured a square playing area in an age of polygonal playhouses (such as the Globe
, the Swan
and the Rose
).
Even after its expansion, the Boar's Head remained a comparatively small theatre for its time, with only two levels of galleries on the east side, and one each on the north and south sides. (For comparison, the Swan and Fortune theatres each had three levels of galleries.)
Inn-yard theatre
In the historical era of English Renaissance drama, an Inn-yard theatre or Inn-theatre was a common inn that provided a venue for the presentation of stage plays.-Beginnings:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1598 to around 1616. During its lifetime as a playhouse, it was home to the Earl of Derby's Men
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...
(summer 1599-summer 1601, summer 1602-March 1603), the Earl of Worcester's Men
Worcester's Men
The Earl of Worcester's Men was an acting company in Renaissance England. An early formation of the company, wearing the livery of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, is among the companies known to have toured the country in the mid-sixteenth century...
(summer 1601-summer 1602, April 1604-1605 or 1606), and Prince Charles' Men (summer 1609-March 1616); the historian Herbert Berry suggests that many other unidentified companies could have played there, as well.
Location
The Boar's Head was located in WhitechapelWhitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, London, on the north side of Whitechapel High Street
Whitechapel High Street
Whitechapel High Street is a road in Whitechapel in the East End of London, connecting Aldgate High Street with Whitechapel Road. Now part of the A11 it was anciently part of the Roman road from London to Colchester...
. Berry notes that "it became a playhouse partly because of where it was — just outside the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
… a few feet beyond the ordinary jurisdiction of the lord mayor and his aldermen."
History
As Alexander Leggatt notes, the Boar's Head was originally an inn, which was built in the 1530s; it underwent two renovations for use as a playhouse: first, in 1598, when a simple stage was erected, and a second, more elaborate renovation in 1599. In 1616, the lease of the space to Oliver Woodliffe, one of the men responsible for expanding the theatre, expired, and Charles Sisson surmises that this marked the end of the Boar's Head's days as a theatre space.Prior to 1598, the Boar's Head was simply an inn and did not include any formal playing space. On November 28, 1594, Jane and Henry Poley, who owned the inn, entered a lease agreement with Oliver and Susan Woodliffe. The agreement began on March 25, 1595 and ended on March 24, 1616 and included a promise to spend £100 during the following seven years to build, among other things, a tiring house and a stage.
In 1598, a primitive stage was built in the middle of the yard, measuring 39 in 7 in (12.07 m) by 25 feet (7.6 m). The audience stood mostly in the yard, as the galleries were not big enough to accommodate a large audience. In 1599, Woodliffe and Richard Samwell (who had leased the inn in 1598 from Woodliffe; Woodliffe remained landlord of the theatre) took down the primitive stage setup and built a new playhouse apparently meant to compete with Shakespeare's Globe
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
, which had just opened on the other side of the Thames. As Leggatt states, "the stage — essentially the same stage — was moved to the west wall so that actors could entire directly on to it from the tiring house, a roof was built over the stage, and the galleries were considerably expanded and roofed with tiles."
Berry lists a number of plays that can be associated with the Boar's Head during its heyday, although he is careful to note that "we cannot show that any surviving plays were unquestionably written for performance at the Boar's Head." He lists "two plays that may well have been written for performance at the Boar's Head":
-
-
- A Pleasant conceited Comedie Wherein is shewed how a man may chuse a good Wife from a bad (London, 1602), sundry times Acted by the Earle of Worcesters Seruants."
- The History of the tryall of the Cheualry (London, 1605 twice), "lately acted by the right Honourable the Earle of Darby his seruants."
-
Also listed are six plays that are less likely to have been written specifically for performance at the Boar's Head but that were published as having belonged to the Queen's men and Prince Charles's men at the time of their respective stints at the Boar's Head:
-
-
- Thomas HeywoodThomas HeywoodThomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...
, If you know not me, You know no bodie (London, 1605) - Heywood, The Second Part of, If you know now me, you know no bodie (London, 1606)
- No-body and Some-body (London, n.d.), "acted by the Queens Maiesties Seruants"
- Thomas Dekker and John WebsterJohn WebsterJohn Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.- Biography :Webster's life is obscure, and the dates...
, The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyat (London, 1607), "As it was plaied by the Queens Maiesties Seruants." - The Fayre Mayed of the Exchange (London, 1607); often attributed to Heywood.
- William RowleyWilliam RowleyWilliam Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
and Thomas MiddletonThomas MiddletonThomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
, A Faire Quarrell (London, 1617), "As it was Acted before the KingJames I of EnglandJames VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and diuers times publikely by the Prince his Highnes Seruants."
- Thomas Heywood
-
In 1616, the lease agreement between the Woodliffes and the Poleys (now controlled by Mrs. Poley's heir, Sir John Poley) expired. By this time, the Prince's Men had merged with Lady Elizabeth's Men and had entered into an agreement to play in the Hope Theatre
Hope Theatre
The Hope Theatre was one of the theatres built in and around London for the presentation of plays in English Renaissance theatre, comparable to the Globe, the Curtain, the Swan, and other famous theatres of the era....
on Bankside
Bankside
Bankside is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance before London Bridge at St Mary Overie Dock to...
. Sisson suggests that Poley "found it more profitable to develop the buildings and site of the Boar's head, or to dispose of it to a speculator, for other purposes than those of an inn and a theatre, in the rapid growth of this residential and industrial suburb of London.".
Layout
As Berry explains, the Boar's Head differed from many other playhouses of the time in that it "was not a single free-standing building, like the GlobeGlobe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
, Fortune
Fortune Playhouse
The Fortune Playhouse was an historic theatre in London. It was located between Whitecross Street and the modern Golden Lane, just outside the City of London...
, and others, but, except for the stage, mostly a scheme of additions and alterations to existing buildings originally meant for very different uses." These other sections included various lodgings, stables, gardens, barns, and, thankfully for its customers, a privy.
Interestingly, the Boar's Head featured a square playing area in an age of polygonal playhouses (such as the Globe
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
, the Swan
The Swan (theatre)
The Swan was a theatre in Southwark, London, England, built in 1595 on top of a previously standing structure, during the first half of William Shakespeare's career...
and the Rose
The Rose (theatre)
The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre , the Curtain , and the theatre at Newington Butts The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577),...
).
Even after its expansion, the Boar's Head remained a comparatively small theatre for its time, with only two levels of galleries on the east side, and one each on the north and south sides. (For comparison, the Swan and Fortune theatres each had three levels of galleries.)