Thomas Platter, a Swiss traveller, visits London between 18 September and 20 October 1599. He provides accounts of visits to the theatres and bear garden, and furnishes details of theatrical culture, practice and infrastructure. On 21 September, Platter attends a performance of 'die Tragedy vom ersten Keyser Julio Caesare' [the tragedy of the first Emperor Julius Caesar] at a straw-roofed playhouse [the Globe]. The play features approximately 15 actors, and the performance ends with a dance. Later in his trip, Platter sees a comedy performed at an unnamed playhouse [the Curtain] in Bishopsgate; again, the performance ends with a dance. Every day at two o'clock, Platter observes, as many as two or three performances run simultaneously at different houses around the city. Plays are staged on raised platforms, and audiences pay one penny to stand in the galleries, two to sit, and three for a cushioned seat. Refreshments are served during intermission. Players dress in the most costly and delicate items, which they purchase from the estates of knights and gentry for very little money. There is a house near the Horsemarket, built like a theatre, that runs cockfights for three-quarters of the year. The cocks fight on a round table covered in straw. Audience members stand around the table, and place bets on the fight, which may last as much as hour or five hours. Sundays and Wednesdays there is bear- and bullbaiting across the water; Platter attends a show on Sunday, 19th September. The showplace [Schauplatz] is built in the round; the ground level offers unreserved open-air space. Bears' teeth are broken off so they cannot injure the dogs. The English pass the time in these and other ways. As most do not travel, they attend the theatre to learn about other countries and foreign matters.
| Name | Event Role(s) | Document Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Platter, Thomas | traveller |