‘Swan,’ built in 1595, and the ‘Hope,’ built in 1618—do not appear to have been used by Shakespeare’s company.]
(b) Private Theatres.
(1) The Second Blackfriars Playhouse.[1] This was an indoor theatre as distinguished from the partially roofless public playhouses. It was constructed by the Burbages in 1596 by throwing together rooms in the Blackfriars building, near Temple Bar in an aristocratic residence district on the northern (London) bank of the Thames. On account of objections from influential dwellers in the neighborhood, Shakespeare’s company was not able to act in the Blackfriars till 1609,[2] after which year it was used as a winter house for the Globe company. The Blackfriars was termed a ‘private’ theatre largely as a subterfuge to obviate the hostility against a public playhouse in the district. It was private only in the sense that it catered to the fashionable public, charging high admission fees and introducing special innovations such as artificial lighting, elaborate music, and the privilege of sitting on the stage. It came ultimately to be thought of as a more important playhouse than the democratic ‘Globe,’ but not probably during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
(2) Private Theatres for Occasional Performances.
