Where was Shakespeare's first play performed?

Answer 1

There is a lot we don't know about Shakespeare. But we do know that on March 3 1592, Philip Henslowe recorded in his account book that a play called Henry VI was performed at the Rose Theatre (and possibly at the Newington Butts Theatre). People think this was probably William Shakespeare's Henry VI Part I. This might not have been Shakespeare's first play, but it is the first performance that we know of of one of his plays.

We know it was a hit with the audiences because two years later it was sent to print which was an expensive thing to do in the 1590's. The publishers wouldn't have contemplated doing that unless it was going to make money.

Answer 2

Certain theatre companies have made a point of performing the whole canon. The Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ontario has done so several times, which means that so long as his first play is one of the canon (and is not in fact Love's Labour's Won, which is lost, or Edward III which is not canon and is probably Peele not Shakespeare, or some similar play), it has been performed there.

If you mean where was Shakespeare's first play first performed, our ability to answer this is hampered by several facts:

1. We do not know which of Shakespeare's plays was his first. It was one of four or five very early plays.

2. We do not know where any of his plays were played before 1594, unless the "harey vj" and "titus" in Henslowe's journal are Henry VI (not sure which part though) and Titus Andronicus in which case these two plays were played at the Rose.

3. However, we do not know where any of Shakespeare's plays premiered. Records of performances never say "and this was the first time this play had been performed."