"Brilliant . A transfixing portrait of the theater that made Shakespeare who he was. The Dream Factory is an indispensable account of a chaotic and creative period . Swift pays [Shakespeare] the compliment of recognizing the Bard in exactly the way that he would have recognized himself--as a laborer." --Ed Simon, The New York Times "Daniel Swift's deftly written, engaging rescue of this playhouse from comparative obscurity . will deservedly be read by many who love theatre, but don't know about the Theatre." --Peter Holland, The Times Literary Supplement "Deftly navigating social politics, the plague and preachers wishing for the Theatre's downfall, Swift tells its history in the most original way." --Zuzana Lachendro, New Statesman "[A] smart mix of history and literary criticism .

[Swift] succeeds in elucidating the economics and culture that gave rise to a literary icon. Readers will be reminded that even a writer as highly regarded as Shakespeare once needed to learn and practice his craft." -- Publishers Weekly " The Dream Factory brilliantly shows how Shakespeare was not merely a man of the theatre but a man of the Theatre, the playhouse where he developed the mastery of his art." --David Scott Kastan, author of A Will to Believe "A thrilling account . A story I thought I knew but didn't. Swift brightly illuminates that raucous, scrappy, litigious world." --Greg Doran, The Week " The Dream Factory is one of the most exciting and original books about Shakespeare that I've read in years. Deeply researched, beautifully written, it brings to life how Shakespeare 'became Shakespeare' and created his early masterpieces at the Theatre in Shoreditch.

A thrilling story, well told." --James Shapiro, author of A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 "Sometimes mysteries hide in plain sight and it takes an insightful, patient, and astute writer to uncover them. Thanks to Daniel Swift's brilliant research we now know that Shakespeare's first playhouse, the Theatre, was just as important to him as the Globe." --Andrew Hadfield, author of Edmund Spenser.