Question

the time traveler’s guide to elizabethan england
by ian mortimer
the theater
in the modern world we have great admiration for elizabethan theater. at
the time, however, it is in the throes of a radical revolution. at the start of
the reign the majority of productions are miracle plays—reconstructions of
scenes from the bible, performed as both civic and religious rituals. these
go out of favor when the privy council decrees that they are too close to
catholicism and should stop. those at york cease in 1569. in chester the
citizens defy the privy council and continue performing their play about
noah’s flood well into the 1570s. the coventry mystery plays are finally
suppressed in 1579, so this is the town to visit if you want to catch one
later in the reign. the guary miracle play in cornwall continues for some
years but is so amateurish it can hardly be seen as a threat. during its
performances, a prompter goes to each actor in turn and whispers his
speech to him, line by line.

in their stead, people increasingly choose to see secular plays on historical
and moral themes. these are performed up and down the country by
theater companies called after lords, for example “lord sussex’s men,”
“lord strange’s men,” “the lord admiral’s men,” and “lord leicester’s
men.” the reason for these names is that, while unattached actors are
liable to be arrested for vagrancy, the act of 1572 specifically excludes
players properly authorized by lords from being considered vagabonds.
read the excerpt from the time traveler’s guide to elizabethan england.
more theaters open their doors to the public. the rose is built by philip
henslowe at southwark, not far from the bear - baiting and bull - baiting
arenas, in 1587. eight years later francis langley erects the swan on a
site nearby, and in 1596 richard burbage builds the blackfriars
theatre, an indoor venue, although it does not open its doors until
1599.
which theater opened last?

the swan

the rose

blackfriars

southwark

Explanation:

The excerpt states the Rose was built in 1587, the Swan eight years later (1595), and Blackfriars was built in 1596 but opened in 1599. Southwark is a location, not a theater. Thus, Blackfriars opened last.

Answer:

Blackfriars