The Hope Theatre

The Hope Theatre was built in 1613 by Philip Henslowe and Jacob Meade for the dual purpose of staging theatre and bearbaiting. Although it was built in a close proximity to The Globe on Bankside, it was not considered a real threat to Shakespeare’s theatre. The contract for The Hope shows that it had a movable stage, and otherwise was modelled on The Swan theatre.

Ben Johnson’s Bartholemew Fair was one of the first plays written for The Hope. It was performed by Lady Elizabeth’s Men, The Hope’s resident theatre company, in the autumn of 1614.

The dual staging of both bearbaiting and plays soon became a problem. The Lady Elizabeth’s Men were promised that bearbaiting would only occupy the theatre once every two weeks. However, the sport was a far more lucrative business, and disputes soon developed over priorities. The players eventually quit the theatre soon after Henslowe’s death in 1616.

Bearbaiting continued to be staged at The Hope until 1656, when the theatre was closed due to the occurrence of several sporting accidents.