The Theatre in Elizabethan Shoreditch: A Before Shakespeare Quiz

The Theatre is one of London's earliest commercial playhouses, opened in Shoreditch in 1576. Roughly how much did founders John Brayne and James Burbage allege (in subsequent lawsuits) to have spent on building the space?

Why were Burbage and Brayne arrested in 1580 and charged by the Middlesex County sessions court?

In 1585, the proprietor of the neighbouring Curtain playhouse describes its collaborative commercial relationship with The Theatre. How does he describe the Curtain's role in this relationship?

After her husband's death, Margaret Brayne asserted her claim to half the profits of The Theatre and of The Curtain, resulting in several lengthy and long-lasting court cases. In one instance, she and an associate turn up on the day of a play to collect money from the galleries and refuse to leave. Ellen Burbage proceeds to attack Brayne's associate with... what?

Arguably the earliest play to survive from the Elizabethan commercial playhouses (and quite likely performed at The Theatre), Robert Wilson's The Three Ladies of London is a tour de force of everyday life for contemporary Londoners. Can you name the Three Ladies of the title?

The Theatre was built in the grounds of a former priory, in an area of London that was only slowly transforming into urban space. What was the name of the priory (still preserved in parts of Shoreditch today)?

One surviving document in the British Library records a series of public entertainments taking place at The Theatre that weren't dramatic plays. What else did Elizabethans go to this playhouse to watch?

The area surrounding The Theatre in the 16th century was, like much of London, cosmopolitan. It was near one of London's earliest black communities (around St Botolph's) and was home to a number of European immigrants. Many of these (such as the nearby musical dynasty, the Bassanos) had thriving careers in the city and at court. Others had a tougher life. Collette Dewbequas and her daughter Jacklyn came from Valencia to live in Shoreditch in the 1560s and are described as living in a house with 53 other people. How did the recorder describe their occupation?