‘Private’ and ‘Public’ Indoor Theatres, 1625–1640

Abstract

Chapter 3 charts the increased frequency with which the term ‘private’ became associated with the indoor theatres of Caroline London. It then examines a number of examples which appear to resist the standard ‘public/private’ division by referring to indoor playhouse performance as ‘public’. Some of these examples have been misread by critics and seem more likely to uphold, rather than contest, the established distinction, but those examples which do challenge the ‘public/private’ dichotomy deserve greater attention. Some critics have claimed that such examples suggest the inconsistency and irrelevance of the terms, but this chapter argues precisely the opposite. Through close analysis of three Thomas Heywood playbook title pages, the chapter posits that Heywood critiqued politicised ‘public/private’ boundaries.