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Elizabethan Age Theatre. 1558-1603. Origins of Elizabethan Age. Named for Queen Elizabeth I of England QE was a strong supporter of the arts (literature, visual art, theater, music) Artists were supported by the nobles. Playhouses. Playhouses were first located in London’s city limits
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Elizabethan AgeTheatre 1558-1603
Origins of Elizabethan Age • Named for Queen Elizabeth I of England • QE was a strong supporter of the arts (literature, visual art, theater, music) • Artists were supported by the nobles
Playhouses • Playhouses were first located in London’s city limits • James Burbage built the first playhouse: The Theater (1576) • Puritans and Politicians were against playhouses because of the content and the crowds they drew
Playhouses (continued) • 1597 – timber from The Theater was ferried across the Thames River to Southwark and used to build The Globe • No advertising of the plays in the city – managers used flags • Black – tragedy • White – comedy • Red - history
Playhouses (continued) • Playhouses held 1500 – 3000 spectators • Spectators were ferried across the river • Admission cost – 1 penny to stand in the (mosh) “pits” or more to sit in the tiers • 1648 – Puritans order that all playhouses be torn down • 1660 – Playhouses reopen
Drama • Only men were allowed to perform • The parts of women were played by young boys • Audiences cheered – talked to the actors – threw things at the actors • Plays were performed in the afternoon • Realistic costumes and special
Drama (continued) • Stage was round so that the actors could directly address the audience through soliloquies and asides • Heavens, trapdoors, inner and outer stage areas • Natural lighting (daytime performances)