Fortune Playhouse

The Fortune Playhouse was an Elizabethan theatre in London, standing between Whitecross Street and Golden Lane in what is now the London Borough of Islington. It opened around 1600 and was one of the main playhouses of its time, alongside the Globe and the Swan. The site had once housed a nursery for Henry VIII’s children before becoming a centre for drama. The theatre was built by Philip Henslowe and Edward Alleyn, with construction overseen by Peter Street, who had recently completed the Globe. Its square design and brick foundations set it apart from other amphitheatres of the period.

The Fortune was home to the Admiral’s Men, one of London’s leading acting companies, for more than twenty years. Its early years saw visits from foreign dignitaries, including a Venetian ambassador in 1617 and the Spanish ambassador in 1621. The theatre’s reputation suffered over time, linked in later years to rowdy behaviour and outdated plays. It burned down in 1621 and was rebuilt in brick, but its troubles continued with riots and financial difficulties.

Today, the site lies beneath modern streets near Fortune Street. Visitors can walk the same ground where plays by Thomas Tomkiss and William Heminges once drew crowds. The area retains little of the playhouse’s original form, but the memory of its lively past remains. The nearby streets still carry names that recall its history, offering a quiet reminder of London’s theatrical golden age.