Category:Newington

The playhouse at Newington, often referred to by its street location of Newington Butts, was a mile south of London. It was built by 1577. It is most familiar to students of early modern English drama for the run of 10 days from 3-13 June 1594 recorded by Philip Henslowe in his diary. But when it was new, it was apparently a busy venue. William Ingram explores the early years of the Newington playhouse in The Business of Playing (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992 [150-81]). He determines that Jerome Savage, a player with the earl of Warwick's men in 1575, was probably responsible for the building of the playhouse. That company, with Savage as well as John and Lawrence Dutton as members, performed at Newington until 1580, at which time the Duttons brought in another company, the earl of Oxford's men, without the services of Savage. It is unclear how long one or both of the Duttons played at Newington and how regularly. John Dutton joined the Queen's men late in 1583. Yet playing at Newington did apparently continue, perhaps intermittently, into the 1590s. The company of Strange's men played there but requested the Privy Council in an undated petition to allow their return to the Rose playhouse. The Newington playhouse was closed probably in 1595, certainly by 1599.

For further details on the playhouse at Newington, see Ingram (above) and Herbert Berry's headnote on the playhouse in Wickham (320-21).