William Shakespeare
The Fortune Theatre - Elizabethan Amphitheatre
The move of the Chamberlain’s men to Bankside left the north bank of the Thames without any strong theatrical attraction, and Henslowe and Alleyn endeavoured to cater for the population of that part of the town by building the Fortune playhouse off Golding Lane in the parish of St. Giles without Cripplegate.
The work, which was to cost £440, was to be finished on or before the 25th July. The actual cost worked out at slightly more at £520, and the playhouse appears to have been opened in late November 1600. The Admiral’s men occupied it until 1621 when it burnt down. The Fortune was rebuilt in 1623 but in brick and of a round shape instead of the square used in the original playhouse.