Before Shakespeare explores the beginnings of playhouses and theatrical culture in England. We champion an expansive and collaborative theatre history: join us to think about how and why we can learn about our theatrical past via a range of approaches, from social history to twenty-first century performance. This website includes years’ of resources, blogs, and conversations about sixteenth-century theatrical culture. It includes first-hand research-in-progress reports, images and transcriptions of archival documents, and performance reviews of plays to commentary on authorship. We are also working with theatremaker Emma Frankland on her production of John Lyly’s brilliant play, Galatea (1584).