Drury Lane Theatre
The Drury Lane Theatre, London, watercolour by Edward Dayes, 1795; in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino, California.
Drury Lane Theatre
theater, London, United Kingdom
Also known as: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Drury Lane Theatre, oldest London theatre still in use. It stands in the eastern part of the City of Westminster. The first theatre was built by the dramatist Thomas Killigrew for his company of actors as the Theatre Royal under a charter from Charles II. It opened May 7, 1663, in the propitious era of Restoration drama, and produced plays by John Dryden, among others. It was closed in 1665ā66 but then prospered until being...