Where did William Shakespeare usually perform?

Answer 1

Although we associate Shakespeare as an actor with the large public theatres, these were only open in the summer and in plague season not at all. We can identify three main groups of venues:

1. Large public theatres in London, only in summer, late spring and early fall when they were not closed for plague. We cannot be sure which companies Shakespeare was with before 1594, so we do not know which theatres they played in, but after 1594 we know he played Newington Butts, the Theatre, the Curtain, and after 1599 the Globe.
2. Indoor venues in the winter time, early spring and late fall. These included the houses of noblemen, halls in the inns of court, and of course the royal court. The courts often sponsored plays in the days following Christmas, but King James, who unlike Queen Elizabeth was a real fan of drama, had plays all through the summer, usually by the King's Men. In addition, an indoor theatre, the Blackfriars, was opened by members of the company in 1609 so the company could perform steadily all winter, but by this time Shakespeare was at the end of his acting career.
3. When all theatres in London were closed for the plague, the core players of the company would go on tour with stripped-down versions of their plays, which they would perform at improvised country venues like guildhalls and innyards. Shakespeare was on such a tour in Kent at the time Hamnet died in 1596.