ELISABETHAN THEATRE

The Elizabethan theatre celebrated England and her kings and queens and all social classes enjoyed the
performances. At first plays were performed in the courtyards of the London inns but in 1574 public
performances were banned by the City government because they were considered a disturbance by the
citizens of the City and highly immoral by the Puritans. As a consequence many outdoor playhouses, such as the
Rose, the Globe and the Swan were built around London. Players were considered vagabonds and were forbidden
to perform in public so they put themselves under the protection of some noblemen or even of the queen or
kng who became their patrons and gave the company their liveries and name. All female roles were acted by
young boys dressed as girls or women. This tradition lasted in England until the end of the 19th century