What theater did Shakespeare rebuild?

Answer 1

None. Shakespeare was an investor in more than one theatre but was not the main investor or the carpenter or anyone in charge of rebuilding. You may be thinking of three possible theatre construction projects that went on in Shakespeare's day.

1. The rebuilding of the Blackfriars Theatre. James Burbage had bought the hall of the Old Friary at Blackfriars and transformed it into a theatre with the aid of his carpenter Peter Street. However, the London authorities would not authorize it for adult theatre, so it was leased to children's companies. Finally in 1608 it was decided that adults could play in it so it was bought by some of the sharers in the King's Men (including Shakespeare) and refurbished.

2. James Burbage had built the first successful purpose-built playhouse, The Theatre, in 1576 and it was used by his sons, Richard the actor and Cuthbert the theatre manager. They had some problems with the landlord, however, who closed it down in 1595 and claimed ownership of the building. The Lord Chamberlain's Men were forced to relocate to the Curtain Theatre while the negotiations dragged on. In the end James died and Richard and Cuthbert inherited his theatre. Rather than let the landlord get it they had Street tear it down and salvage what timber he could. Using the salvaged materials, their own money and money obtained from new investors (including Shakespeare) they built a new theatre in Southwark, which was the first Globe. The Globe used the timbers from the Theatre but it was a totally new building.

3. The Globe had thirteen or fourteen good years. Then it burned down during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII in 1613. It was rebuilt (with a tile rather than a thatch roof to make it less flammable) very shortly thereafter, but Shakespeare had by that time retired from the theatre business and so had nothing to do with it.