The Boar's Head Theatre - Elizabethan Amphitheatre Boar's Head Theatre started life as a London Inn in the possession of a widow called Mrs. Poley. The popularity, and profit to be made from playgoers, saw the Boar's Head used as an Inn-yard from 1557. The Boar's Head Theatre was located in Whitechapel, London. In 1595 Mrs. Poley leased it to Oliver Woodliffe conditional on him spending £100 over a seven year period on renovation of the Boar's Head Inn and converting it into an Amphi-theatre with the addition of expanded covered galleries, a tiring-house and a half covered stage . The work was completed in 1599 and once a licence had been obtained Worcester's men were contracted to play there. Due to Oliver Woodliffe's problems with another group of players who it would seem he had made arrangements with, they found it impossible to stay there. After a very short period of time they moved into to the Rose at Bankside which had recently been vacated by The Admiral's men (they had moved into the newly built Fortune playhouse). Oliver Woodliffe of the Boar's Head took legal action against Worcester's men for breaching their contact with him and this took some six months to resolve. |