Re-Building a Fortune

Jerzy Limon, University of Gdansk.

A leading scholar on the original Fortune theatre, Professor Limon has established the Theatrum Gedanense Foundation (Royal Patron: HRH Prince Charles) to raise funds to re-build a new Fortune in Gdansk. In his lecture, Professor Limon will reflect upon the Fortune of 1600 and discuss the designs, by Renato Rizzi, for the new Gdansk Fortune theatre.

The Fortune Theatre was contemporary with Shakespeare's Globe, built by Philip Henslowe and Edward Alleyn, and its original occupants were the Admiral's Men.

The contract for the building of the Fortune Playhouse in 1600 survives and makes several references to the Globe on Bankside. What can the contract contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding the decoration of the Globe's interior?