Lion stage in 1567. He covers in unprecedented detail the circumstances that led in 1576 to the construction of the first three London playhouses - the Theater, the Curtain, and the playhouse at Newington Butts in Surrey. Based on a wealth of primary research, The Business of Playing will be essential reading for theater historians and others interested in the literature and the social and cultural history of the English Renaissance.

This 1923 book studies the development of English staging during the Renaissance, and its relationship with the classical revival of stage decoration in Italy. The text attempts to show how from the beginning of the classical revival of drama in Italy, staging was regarded as an accepted part of dramatic production.