- Junction of Belvedere Road and Concert Hall Approach
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51.505472, -0.116864 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)
- Stairs to the north-west of the junction. Bust on top of the staircase
- Copy the full name of the sculptor
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IAN WALTERS
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Historical background
London Theatres
// Until the latter half of the XVI century, the British public was entertained by troupes of actors, who traveled across the country. They loved performing in the capital, because there was always a lot of spectators. The city government did not liked them a lot — sometimes plays were not religious enough, sometimes people were distracted from work or the crowds were too large. In short, there was no problem to find some trouble. The actors, in order not to, mostly played in inns, courtyards and in the homes of wealthy people, including the Queen. By the middle of the XVI century, the actors began to think about their own buildings, in order not to share profits with taverns and, correctly selecting a plot of land, to get out of the control of the City Council. The first theatre, ‘The Red Lion’, was built in 1567 in Whitechapel. It had no success and was closed in a year. The second theatre with a simple name ‘The Theatre’ appeared nine years later in Shoreditch, and it had success. Further theatres began to grow like mushrooms after a rain — ‘The Curtain’, ‘The Swan’, ‘The Rose’, Shakespearean ‘The Globe’ and others. When Puritans led by Cromwell came to power, they closed all the theatres. The ban was lifted only with the restoration of the monarchy after eighteen years. At the same time the Royal theatre on Drury Lane was built. Charles II favoured the theatre. It was him who issued the royal decree that from now on female roles must only be play by women as he felt disturbed looking at bearded ‘female’ characters. Theatres continued to multiply and develop. There are about one and a half hundred theatres now in London. Not counting concert halls and sports arenas.
Present in routes of categories Atlas
Passed by: 3/6 (50%).
By categories:
- Atlas: 3/6 (50%)