The Peoria theaters were made out of timber and plaster with thatched roofs. As they were more prone to catching fire these structures were later replaced with a brick structure with tiled roofs. Theaters were three storied building with open air stage in the middle. The stage was surrounded from three sides by seating arrangement on the three stories; it was either elliptical or square. There were doors at the back of the stage that were used by the performers. The third level behind the stage was used as a balcony to interact with the audience. Some of the renowned Peoria IL theaters having such structures were Curtain Theater, The Globe, The Fortune, The Rose, The Swan and The Red Bull. Later on theaters of relatively small size with indoor stage started getting popular for privacy sake. It started with the Blackfriars Theater. Other theaters that followed the path were Whitefriars, Cockpit and Salisbury Court Theater.

The Puritan movement was the cause of closure of theaters in 1642. According to the Puritans the theaters were staging indecent stuff like men dressing up as female and also aroused opposing political thoughts. Most of the theaters were located in places where brothels dwelled. So at the beginning of the English Civil War all the theaters were closed.

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