Crosse Keys Inn Theatre, London

While many Elizabethan plays were performed in theatres like the Globe or the Rose, many people saw plays at inns. Inns were formed around central courtyards, and the rooms had balconies overlooking that area.

The design was not by accident; most travelers arrived by horse or horse-drawn carriage into the central courtyard. But it made the perfect setup for performers to stage plays, as lodgers could view the show from their balconies and then retire to their rooms. Acting groups could set up a stage and sell standing tickets for the courtyard and premium tickets for the balconies.

Acting groups used the Cross Keys Inn on Gracechurch Street between 1576 and 1594. Shakespeare and the Lord Chamberlain's Men gave regular performances here. It was one of four inns granted permits by the City of London to host performances.

While we know where the Cross Keys Inn was located, but there are several different theories about its design and where and how plays may have been performed. There may have been a courtyard, like other inns, or perhaps there was a large interior room. This would then be not unlike playing a grand house, which acting companies also did often.

As more theatres were built, the use of the inn courtyards faded. Additionally, the use of inns was banned by the city council in 1594. The theatre was seen as a bad influence by the town council, which put strict limits on play-acting.

But the designs of the Globe and other Elizabethan theatres, with balconies surrounding a central courtyard, were taken directly from the inns.

Cross Keys Inn was located adjacent to the Bells Inn. A street by this name intersects Gracechurch Street to this day. But beyond that, no signs of either inn-theatres remain.