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Hello Stephanie, Again, let me caution against automatically valorizing the Burbages as the first builders of playhouses in London. Evidence for the existence of the playhouse at Newington Butts predates the earliest known evidence for the Theater. The key words in your original message are "permanent, year-round and public", and I doubt that structures like Vicenza would match all three of those. Yours is a useful quest that would benefit from more skepticism at the London end. William Ingram The University of Michigan -----Original Message----- From: REED-L: Records of Early English Drama Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephanie Hughes Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 9:28 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Was Burbage's Theatre the first of its kind in Europe? Thanks Tracey. Sorry for not being clear. The point is whether or not these efforts by Burbage and/or his brother-in-law were the first in Europe. I know it's hard to prove a negative, so I guess what I'm asking is whether anyone knows of any such theaters in other European nations or of any books or articles that deal with this question. There were what seem to be similar theaters in Italy, chiefly in Vicenza, but these were temporary structures, not meant to be permanent as were the Brayne-Burbage buildings. So far my rather cursory efforts via online sources to locate similar theaters in other countries have come up empty. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks again. Stephanie On Oct 26, 2009, at 8:24 AM, Tracey Hill wrote: > Hello Stephanie, > > latest scholarship in this field suggests that the first purpose- > built playhouse in London was in fact the Red Lion to the east of > the City of London at Mile End, dating from 1567. Most good theatre > histories would provide more information on this playhouse: The > Cambridge History of British Theatre, vol. I, would be a good place > to start. > > Best wishes > > Tracey Hill > > Dr Tracey Hill > Head of Department of English & Cultural Studies > Bath Spa University > > -----Original Message----- > From: REED-L: Records of Early English Drama Discussion on behalf > of Stephanie Hughes > Sent: Mon 10/26/2009 11:50 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Was Burbage's Theatre the first of its kind in Europe? > > In researching Early Modern theater in England, it seems that > Burbage's Theatre, built in 1576, may have been the first permanent > yearround public stage, not only in London or England, but in all of > Europe. There were similar temporary stages in Italy, and indoor > theaters that came and went, but so far I've found no large outdoor > commercial stages built to be permanent before Burbage's. If someone > has any thoughts on this, or can suggest where else to look, I'd be > most grateful. > > Stephanie Hopkins Hughes > Nyack, NY > > [log in to unmask]