Theatre in Shakespeares London

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Theatre in Shakespeares London
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History of Theatres

• In the early days of English theatre, plays were
  performed in yards and fields.
• They were also performed in bearbaiting arenas.

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History of Theatres

• Puritan clergy denounced play going as a
  dangerous diversion from religious worship.
• Plays were banned from London city proper, and so
  the theatre district was confined to an area in
  the suburbs known as Southwark

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London, Thames, Southwark
London
Thames River
Southwark
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History of Theatres

• 1576
• Carpenter named James Burbage built the first
  theatre in England, simply called The Theatre.

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History of Theatres

• This theatre is significant because the timber
  from it was used in the construction of The Globe
  Theatre.
• Although much of Shakespeares career was in
  other theatres, the Globe is what is associated
  with him career since he was a shareholder.

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The Globe

• Built in 1599
• Models and most illustrations show the Globe with
  8 sides
• Newer discoveries show the Globe may have had as
  many as 20 sides, giving it a circular appearance

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The Globe---Features

• Circular
• Made of timber and stucco
• Open aired, with a roof only around the perimeter
  and stage area
• Could seat around 3000 spectators
• Diameter was 100 ft surface to surface
• Stage was 49 feet across

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The Globe---Features

• Overall height was 36 feet 6 inches
• Dirt area in the center was used for the poor to
  watch the plays--called groundlings
• Featured a trap door on the stage
• Had a flag system for advertising plays
• Black was a tragedy white was a comedy red was
  a history

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The Interior of the Globe
flag
Thatched roof
heavens
Two penney rooms
Trap door
stage
galleries
groundlings
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The Globe---Features

• There were no restrooms
• Vendors offered beer, water, oranges, nuts,
  gingerbread. Hazelnuts were the most popular
  snack.
• Performances were everyday except Sunday
• Because there was no lighting, plays were in the
  afternoon

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The Globe---Features

• Scenery and props were minimal
• Instead actors used scene painting
• Costumes were extravagant. Actors wore make-up.
  Both were no approved of by the puritans
• Women were forbidden to work in any area of
  theatre

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How the Interior of the Globe May Have Looked
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The End of the Globe

• The Globe burned down in 1613 when a prop cannon
  exploded during a performance of Henry VIII
• Within a year the globe was rebuilt on the
  original foundations (it had a tile roof instead)
• That one was torn down in the mid-1600s by
  Puritans who disapproved of plays.

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The New Globe Theatre

• Interest began in the 1970s to do historical
  research and excavation on the assumed site of
  the Globe
• This led to the information of the multi-sided
  Globe when the foundation was discovered.
• The new Globe could not be re-built in the exact
  location as other historical buildings were over
  part of the foundation

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The New Globe Theatre

• The new Globe is 200 yards from the original site
• Opened June 1997
• New Globe is faithful to the original. It is of
  wood and thatched with Norfolk reed. The walls
  are made of lime plaster
• The stage is roofs and thatched.
• The new Globe is 33 feet high with 100 ft
  diameter 1400 capacity including 500 standing
  places

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The New Globe
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The New Globe