PLAYHOUSES IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA

1. PLAYHOUSES IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA The Theatre was built in 1576 by James Burbage. It was located in Shoreditch, north-east of the City of London. It was an open-air theatre with three tiers of galleries and a covered stage. From 1594, the Theatre became the playhouse of the Lord Chamberlains men. After the lease on the site expired in 1597 the Burbages broke down the Theatre and in 1599 rebuilt it as the Globe.

2. PLAYHOUSES IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA Before the first public playhouses were built in London in the late 16th century, players performed in the yards and upper rooms of the capital’s many inns. By the early 1600s there were several playhouses just outside the City of London.

3. PLAYHOUSES IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA • Open-air theatre: These were polygon shaped. The stage projected into the central yard and wasn’t really covered . The audience stood around the stage in the yard where places were cheapest or stood or sat in the tiers of galleries that closed it. These playhouses relied on natural light. • Indoor halls:These were rectangle shape with the stage along one of the short sides. The audience sat either in front of the stage where the seats were most expensive or in the galleries which ran around the other three sides of the room. These playhouses had candles and torches to light it up.

4. PLAYHOUSES IN THE ELIZABETHAN ERA The playhouses were brightly decorated inside. Their stages had two doors for entrances and exits. There was little hangings for example painted cloths and curtains were used on the stage. Properties such as beds, thrones or tombs were needed for some plays. Audiences were socially mixed and women as well as men visited both the open-air and the indoor playhouses. Admission to the open-air theatres cost one old penny Admission to the indoor halls cost six old pennies.