Wednesday 7 February 2018

7 February, 1594 - The closing of the theatres

On this day, 424 years ago, London's theatres fell silent once more. Fears of the plague had returned, and the authorities were once again clamping down on large gatherings of people so as to prevent the spread of the disease.


London hit by plague, from John Taylor's The
Fearful Summer (1636)
But this time, the closure will be relatively short. Previously, we have seen the theatres stand empty for months on end, with the actors forced to tour the country instead. But this closure will last only until April, as the authorities will decide that their fears were mistaken.

When playgoing resumes, Sussex's Men will be back, but will have joined forces with another company, the Queen's Men, about whom we'll learn in due course.

This blog will therefore be on hiatus until 1 April. See you then!

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