The Rose (theatre)

The Rose was an Elizabethan playhouse built in 1587 in Southwark, London. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be constructed, after The Theatre (1576), the Curtain (1577), and the Newington Butts Theatre (c. 1580). The Rose is significant as the first home of the Admiral's Men, one of the leading acting companies of the time, and it staged early plays by Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, and, later, William Shakespeare.

History

Philip Henslowe, a businessman and theatrical impresario, and John Cholmley, a grocer, financed the construction of the Rose. It was built on a plot of land known as Little Rose, previously a rose garden and brothel owned by Henslowe. The theatre was constructed with timber and likely had a polygonal shape, although its exact configuration has been debated by scholars based on archaeological evidence. Unlike later theatres like the Globe, The Rose was smaller, holding an estimated audience of around 2,000 people.

Plays and Players

The Admiral's Men, led by Edward Alleyn, were the resident company at The Rose for many years. They were renowned for performing sensational and action-packed plays, particularly those by Christopher Marlowe such as Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine, and The Jew of Malta. Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy was also a popular production. William Shakespeare's association with The Rose is less clear-cut than with the Globe, but it is believed that some of his early works may have been performed there before the Globe was built.

Decline and Excavation

The Rose's popularity waned in the late 1590s, partly due to the construction of the nearby Globe Theatre in 1599 and competition from other playhouses. The theatre fell into disuse and was eventually demolished around 1606. The site of The Rose was largely forgotten until 1989, when excavations prior to the construction of an office building revealed significant portions of the theatre's foundations. This discovery provided valuable insights into the design and construction of Elizabethan playhouses and significantly advanced our understanding of Elizabethan theatre. The remains are preserved beneath the Rose Theatre exhibition space.