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The Elizabethan Theater

The Elizabethan Theater. Theaters in London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I were open-aired. (cross b/w baseball stadium and a Greek amphitheater. The Globe. 1 . Theater has four different areas: Below stage (hell; trap door for exits) Main stage

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The Elizabethan Theater

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  1. The Elizabethan Theater

  2. Theaters in London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I were open-aired. (cross b/w baseball stadium and a Greek amphitheater.

  3. The Globe

  4. 1. Theater has four different areas: • Below stage (hell; trap door for exits) • Main stage • Balcony (also housed musicians during performance) • Attic area (heaven; also housed special effects)

  5. 2. Tiring house was directly behind the stage 3. The pit was an open yard directly in front of the stage in the center of the theater. 4. The gallery was the three-story seating area covered by a roof.

  6. Patrons dropped their money in a box at the entrance. (This was the origin of “box office.”)

  7. 3,000 people could watch the play in the audience (No patron was more than 60 ft. from the stage): 1. Groundlings (poorer patrons) paid 1penny (about $0.60 today) to stand in the pit. 2. Wealthier people sat on seats under the shelter. The more you paid, the higher your seat was.

  8. 3. Lords and gentry paid the most at 1 shilling (about $7.00 today) to sit on cushioned seats on or above the stage.

  9. Plays were performed between 2:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. (Enough sunlight but not enough to affect the actors or audience.)

  10. It was illegal to advertise plays, but some playbills (posters) were put up.

  11. A flag was raised about the theater to signal a performance that day. (red flag – history; black flag – tragedy; white flag- comedy.)

  12. A trumpet would sound three times to announce the beginning of a play.

  13. Actors were all male (female parts played by pre-adolescent boys)

  14. Sets were simple, if any. Costumes were colorful, elaborate, and expensive.

  15. Refreshments included beer, water, fruits, and nuts (many would be thrown at the actors by groundlings.)

  16. James Burbage built the first playhouse in 1576 and called it The Theater. (Located in the city of London) • Local governments did not approve of playhouses morally or politically

  17. Spreading the plague was also a worry. The playhouses were shut down twice during Shakespeare’s life due to the plague. • The Theater was a financial success and remained so until it was closed in 1598.

  18. Before the building could be torn down, they took the lumber and transported it across the river to Southward and re-created it as The Globe. • The Globe was then owned by Shakespeare and several fellow actors.

  19. This new theater was an octagonal structure with an unroofed yard in the center. It was built of wood with a straw-thatched roof. (Nicknamed the Wooden “O”)

  20. The Globe burnt down when a special effect sparked and caught the roof on fire. • The Globe was rebuilt on the same site and lasted until 1644 when all the theaters were closed and torn down.

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