In the late 1500s and early 1600s, London had a vibrant culture of live theater. From 1550 to 1600, the population of London doubled from 100,000 to 200,000. Along with this centralization of people came a centralization of entertainment. Itinerant acting troupes that traveled from town to town putting on “pageants” in the medieval period established permanent organizations housed in one location, such as the theater company called Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which William Shakespeare wrote for. Because these companies were now stationary, they could build larger theaters with more elaborate sets, costumes, visual effects, and sound effects.

Theaters became important social venues where one could interact with a great variety of people. Because London was a center of trade, it housed nobles, merchants, laborers, actors, artisans, and beggars alike from all over Europe, as well as from southwest Asia and northern Africa. A noble might pay extra to get a private box high up in a theater, while poorer people could pay one penny to be admitted to the theater’s yard as a “groundling,” standing for the duration of the play.

This theater culture had many detractors who believed that the mixing of peoples that happened in theaters was immoral and led to societal chaos.