Early Troubles

Abstract

This chapter examines the successful attempt by a group of Blackfriars residents in 1596 to stop James Burbage from opening a second, larger, playhouse in the precinct. As well as identifying the petitioners and their concerns, the chapter asks why other residents may have been reluctant or unwilling to sign up. The petition was successful in the short term, but it does not represent the wishes of the entire community. The playhouse, in other words, was a divisive issue. A few years later a company of boy, rather than adult, actors took occupancy of the performance space. The chapter argues for the centrality of Ben Jonson in this new venture; his early plays for the boys established a tradition of satirical and topically “edgy” drama that would characterize the playhouse for the next decade or so.