London's first theater was opened when Shakespeare was about twelve years old, and the whole theatrical system came into being during his lifetime.
It all started with acting troupes, which consisted of three to four men and a boy to play the female roles. These troupes would travel around the country and act anywhere: in town squares, pageants, inn courtyards, noblemen's halls. Many troupes were formed by unsavory characters that caused a lot of trouble and gave a bad name to actors. Therefore, trying to bring some order into the system, in 1574 Queen Elizabeth decided to grant licenses…
