In-depth
Salisbury Court opened in 1629 not far from the Blackfriars. At various times it was home both to a company of youngsters (the Children of the Revels), and also to various adult companies, including Queen Henrietta Maria’s Men in the later 1630s, after they left the services of Christopher Beeston. Like the Blackfriars and the Cockpit, this new indoor theatre, owned by Richard Gunnell the ex-Fortune player, and William Blagrave, Yeoman of the Revels, was established to cash in on the new and lucrative market of indoor theatre.
Salisbury Court was a considerable success, though its reputation was always slightly lower than that of the elite Blackfriars and also the Cockpit. A number of notable playwrights and their works were based there, including Richard Brome, who in 1635 secured a contract for the delivery of three plays a year for Henrietta Maria’s company, including, amongst other texts, his The Antipodes of 1638.