The period 1580 to the closure of the theatres in 1642 produced a tapestry of dramatic riches. Judith Cook takes us from a time when travelling players finally became semi-respectable - if they could find an aristocratic powerful patron. Then two entrepreneurs, Phillip Henslowe and James Burbage commissioned all the best plays of the day and built up the first two great professional theatre companies, the Lord Admiral's Men and the Lord Chamberlain's Men. What was it like to mix with such people in the taverns and "ordinaries" of the day? Or to visit one of the great early theatres such as the Rose or the Globe? What did the players do when the frequent plague epidemics closed the theatres? What plays were produced, and which were the real crowd pullers. In this vivid account, Judith Cook brings the world of the theatre to life.