The%20Theater

1
The Theater

• During Shakespeares Time

2
Elizabethan Theater

• Called this to honor the queen, Queen Elizabeth I
• She loved art, music, drama, and poetry
• She liked Shakespeares plays and protected him

3
Important People to the Theater

• The Master of Revels was the official censor of
  plays
• He approved or censored content
• A patron sponsored an acting company
• A patron is a rich citizen of high rank who
  backed an acting company

4
James I

• Became king in 1603
• Was a supporter of drama
• James became the patron of Shakespeares acting
  company
• They changed their company name from Lord
  Chamberlains Men to the Kings Men

5
The Theater

• Londons first theater
• Built in 1576
• Owned by James Burbage
• The first theater derived its shape from the inns
• Torn down in 1599

6
The Globe Theater

• Built in 1599
• In Southwark (near London)
• Was financed by James Burbages sons
• Construced out of the timber from The Theater

7
The Globe

• Called the wooden O
• Resembled a small football stadium
• Unroofed yard in the center

8
Parts of the Globe
Yard (where groundlings stood)
Permanent Door (stage entrance and exit)
Platform (main acting area)
9
Parts of the Globe
Chamber (upper stage)
Galleries (3 tiers of seats for audience members)
Terras (balcony)
Trap Door (lead to an area beneath the stage
known as Hell)
Study (inner stage)
10
Parts of the Globe
Flag
Canopy (represented the sky)
Huts (represented the Heavens)
Musicians Gallery
11
The Globe

• Peasants who paid a penny and stood in the yard
  to watch a performance were called groundlings
• Wealthier spectators could spend 2-3 pennies to
  sit in the galleries
• Seating/standing capacity of 3000

12
Performances

• Held in the afternoon (200) because there was no
  artificial lighting
• Without microphones, actors would often have to
  shout lines
• A flag would be hoisted on the day of a
  performance
• The start of a play was signaled by a trumpet
  sounding 3 times

13
Staging and Scenery

• Most plays lasted two hours
• There was little interruption because scenery
  wasnt used
• The audience gained an understanding of the play
  from the costumes, props, music, sound effects,
  and dialogue
• Setting was established with words

14
Costumes

• Were colorful and expensive
• Usually donated by rich patrons

15
Costumes

• Would establish a characters status (wealthy,
  poor, soldier, king, etc.)
• Was symbolic of a characters morality
• White purity
• Black evil
• Red violence, blood

16
Acting Companies

• Consisted of 25-30 actors
• Female roles played by boys
• Each company had a clown for comic relief
• Plays were written with actors and their
  abilities in mind

17
Shakespeares Acting Company

• Richard Burbage (a great tragic actor in
  Shakespeares company)
• Will Kempe (a famous comedian in Shakepeares
  company)

Richard Burbage
Shakespeare
18
The Life of the Globe

• Burned down in 1613 when a cannon shot caught the
  roof on fire
• Rebuilt in 1614
• Closed in 1642 by the Puritans (thought the
  theater was sinful)
• Torn down in 1644

19
The New Globe Theater

• A replica of The Globe now stands on the original
  site
• It was a 45 million dollar reconstruction
• Opened in 1997