Elizabethan dramaElizabethan drama. In 1576, James Burbage built Englands first playhouse, called The Theatre, in a suburb of London. Until this time, drama had been performed in the streets, in homes and palaces, and at universities. After Burbages theatre, other playhouses opened and the popularity of drama rapidly increased. Elizabethan drama was noted for its passion and vitality. Thomas Kyds play The Spanish Tragedy (1580s) was one of the earliest Elizabethan dramas. It is filled with scenes of violence and madness and set a pattern for themes of murder and revenge in later plays. A group of leading Elizabethan playwrights were known as the University Wits because they had attended the famous English universities at Oxford or Cambridge. These playwrights included Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, and George Peele. Marlowe was the most important dramatist among the Wits. He wrote tragedies that center on strong personalities. These works include Tamburlaine the Great (about 1587) and The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (about 1588). The greatest Elizabethan playwright was William Shakespeare. No other English author has equaled his brilliant verse and characterizations. For detailed information about Shakespeare and Elizabethan life and literature.