View the map to understand where theatres were located in 1600 London.
The first proper theater as we know it was simply called the Theatre, built at Shoreditch, London in 1576 and the owner was James Burbage. This gentleman had obtained a 21 year lease with permission to build the first playhouse, appropriately named, ‘The Theatre.’ Before this time, actors improvised with the location in which plays were performed. The courtyard of inns or inn-yards, or sometimes, in the houses of noblemen or in extreme circumstances on open ground served well for gathering audiences. After the Theatre, additional open air playhouses ( theaters ) opened in the London area, including the Rose Theatre (1587), and the Hope Theatre (1613). The most famous Elizabethan playhouse was the Globe Theatre (1599), and it was built by the company in which Shakespeare had a personal, vested interest - now often referred to as the Shakespearean Globe.
Design Features of the Globe Theatre
Proudly displayed above the Globe Theatre was a tower including a flag pole. Flags were used as a form of advertising to the public, and the color of the flag let a passersby know what type of play was next to be performed. Red = A History Black = A Tragedy White – A Comedy |
Built to the engineering standards of 1599, the famous playhouse was a large circular structure that stood three stories high. A small straw hatched roof only partially covered the circular structure, giving it an appearance very much like a modern day football stadium where the center is uncovered.
Situated against one interior side, extended the 5 foot high main stage.
At the back of this stage facing the interior walls were two doors and a main entrance consisting of a central curtain. Behind this were changing rooms for the actors. To get back on stage, they would emerge from the arras or the two sidedoors at stage level. Above this stage was a balcony, flanked by two further balconies serving as playhouse boxes.
Situated against one interior side, extended the 5 foot high main stage.
At the back of this stage facing the interior walls were two doors and a main entrance consisting of a central curtain. Behind this were changing rooms for the actors. To get back on stage, they would emerge from the arras or the two sidedoors at stage level. Above this stage was a balcony, flanked by two further balconies serving as playhouse boxes.
The Audience: Who went to the theatre and what was it like?
The Globe Theater had a 1,500 plus audience capacity. Yet, up to 3,000 people would flock to the theatre and its grounds. The famous playhouse attracted commoners and gentry alike and it brought people of all classes together. Even Queen Elizabeth was a supporter of theatrical performances, although she would not have attended the Globe Theatre itself.
The Globe Theatre was open to all for the modest fee of just one-penny (roughly 10 % of a worker’s daily wage). The Commoners, referred to as groundlings, would pay 1 penny to stand in the 'Pit' of the Globe Theater. Without an overhead roof, such a view was exposed, but with the stage set at eye level some 5 feet off the ground, you got the closest view in the house.
For a little more (roughly two pennies), you could pay to sit in one of the playhouse's three circular galleries; the gentry with time on their hands and comfort on their minds frequently paying more for the comfort and status, the gallery seats were preferred. The gentry would pay to sit in the galleries often using cushions for comfort! Rich nobles could watch the play from a chair set on the side of the Globe stage itself.
Theatre performances were held in the afternoon, because, of course, there was no artificial lighting. Men and women attended plays, but often the prosperous women would wear a mask to disguise their identity. The plays were extremely popular and attracted vast audiences to the Globe. The audiences only dropped during outbreaks of the bubonic plague, which was unfortunately an all too common occurrence during the Elizabethan era. This happened in 1593, 1603 and 1608 when all theaters were closed due to the Bubonic Plague (The Black Death).
The Globe Theater had a 1,500 plus audience capacity. Yet, up to 3,000 people would flock to the theatre and its grounds. The famous playhouse attracted commoners and gentry alike and it brought people of all classes together. Even Queen Elizabeth was a supporter of theatrical performances, although she would not have attended the Globe Theatre itself.
The Globe Theatre was open to all for the modest fee of just one-penny (roughly 10 % of a worker’s daily wage). The Commoners, referred to as groundlings, would pay 1 penny to stand in the 'Pit' of the Globe Theater. Without an overhead roof, such a view was exposed, but with the stage set at eye level some 5 feet off the ground, you got the closest view in the house.
For a little more (roughly two pennies), you could pay to sit in one of the playhouse's three circular galleries; the gentry with time on their hands and comfort on their minds frequently paying more for the comfort and status, the gallery seats were preferred. The gentry would pay to sit in the galleries often using cushions for comfort! Rich nobles could watch the play from a chair set on the side of the Globe stage itself.
Theatre performances were held in the afternoon, because, of course, there was no artificial lighting. Men and women attended plays, but often the prosperous women would wear a mask to disguise their identity. The plays were extremely popular and attracted vast audiences to the Globe. The audiences only dropped during outbreaks of the bubonic plague, which was unfortunately an all too common occurrence during the Elizabethan era. This happened in 1593, 1603 and 1608 when all theaters were closed due to the Bubonic Plague (The Black Death).
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Watch a short segment that shows the Globe Theatre from past to present and describes what it would have been like to be an audience member attending a performance! |
For those of you who are Minecraft enthusiasts, you may appreciate the time that these Honors students devoted to their interpretation of the Globe Theatre. Would you have considered making the flag a different color from what you see here? |
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Unfortunately, the original Globe Theatre was relatively short lived, and it lasted for only 14 years. Tragedy struck in 1613 during a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, when a cannon was utilized to add to the theatrical nature of a scene. When the cannon was fired, it set the thatched roof and wooden timbers of the Globe ablaze!
Reconstructed just one year later in 1614, the famous playhouse again opened its doors for performances but now it was situated on the opposite side of the Thames River. One major architectural design change was that the dangerous straw thatched roof from the original Globe was now prudently replaced with tiles! The Puritans, a group of individuals who didn't believe in such entertainment as exhibited in the theatres, closed down The Globe in 1642. It was destroyed in 1644 to allow for the construction of homes, and it wasn't until excavation work was being done in 1989 that the original location of the Globe Theatre was finally revealed. |
The Globe Theatre - A Vision from an American Actor, Director and Producer The idea of rebuilding Shakespeare's "Globe" was the inspiration of Sam Wanamaker. He spent 23 years fundraising, researching the appearance of the original Globe and planning the reconstruction with architect Theo Crosby. Unfortunately, Sam Wanamaker died in 1993, and three and a half years later the theatre's construction was completed. Fortunately, his dream and ambition helped the new Globe to become a reality! |
A Vision Becomes a Reality in 1999
The research of the Globe Theater led to the discovery that the original structure must have been a 20-sided polygon with a diameter of 100 feet. Today's Globe Theater is as accurate of a reconstruction of the 1599 Globe as was possible with the available research.
The research of the Globe Theater led to the discovery that the original structure must have been a 20-sided polygon with a diameter of 100 feet. Today's Globe Theater is as accurate of a reconstruction of the 1599 Globe as was possible with the available research.
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