Why did the Lord Chamberlain’s Men build the Globe Theatre?

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men built the Globe Theatre primarily as a response to the loss of their previous performance space. The company had been using The Theatre in Shoreditch, which was owned by the father of actor Richard Burbage. When the lease for that property ended in 1597, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage dismantled the original structure and used its timbers to construct the Globe on the south bank of the Thames in 1599.123

Beyond the necessity of a new home, the project established a pioneering commercial model. By building their own playhouse, the leading actors—including William Shakespeare—became "housekeepers" or shareholders. This arrangement allowed them to share directly in the theater's profits, rather than paying rent to a patron or landlord as other companies did. This transition to owner-occupancy provided the company with greater financial independence and stability as one of the few troupes licensed to perform within London.124