The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company. The theatre was built by James Burbage who owned a 21-year lease of the site on which the theatre was built. Once the lease was over, the owner claimed to own the theatre as well. The Burbages then dismantled the entire theatre and relocated it while the owner was away. The theatre was then renovated resulting in an expansion of the theatre. It also needed to be raised due to frequent flooding. The theatre is thought to have been an open-aired, three-level building that could hold 3,000 spectators. It had trap doors, a balcony for musicians, a pit for the poor, and a ceiling called the "heavens" because it was painted to look like the sky. The exact date of completion of the theatre is uncertain as well as the first play performed. Scholar Dover Wilson, however, claims that the first play was Julius Caesar in September of 1599 based on a Swiss traveler's account. It was destroyed by a fire on June 29, 1613 during a production of Henry VIII where a theatrical cannon misfired.

The Theatre of Pompey was the first permanent theatre to be built in Rome. It was comissioned to be built by Pompey the Great during the end of the Roman Republic. Permanent stone theatres were not allowed to be built in Rome, so Pompey had the theatre built just outside the city walls. He also dedicated the theatre to Venus Victrix, his personal deity, with a temple in the center. The theatre was also built off of an older series of temples which leads up to the theatre. There was also an extensive garden with fountains and exhibits of art preceding the theatre. Two performances are associated with the dedication: Clytemnestra by Accius, and Equos Troianus either by Libius Andronicus or Gnaeus Naevius. Clodius Aesopus, a renowned tragic actor, was brought out of retirement in order to act in the theatre's opening show. The show was also accompanied by gladiatorial matches featuring exotic animals. After Pompey was defeated, Julius Caesar used the theatre as the senate meeting house. This is where Caesar was assassinated.