week 4 Theatres,Actors And Acting In Shakespeares Time

An illustration displaying James Burbage's Theatre

Q1: One of the first playhouses in England since the Roman regime was constructed in 1576 by a man named James Burbage, an actor, a theatre impresario and most famous for building the first permanent, dedicated theatre since the roman times. The establishment simply known as 'The Theatre' was built on land belonging to a puritan named Giles Allen. Allen due to his beliefs had no intention of having an art form such as theatre take place on his land however this did not prevent Burbage from constructing his theatre on the site. In 1597 however the lease the pair managed to agree on had finally expired and Allen had no intention of formulating a new one. A clause in the previous lease let the actors who worked in Burbage's company take down the theatre and use the materials in further construction in the near future. The theatre was dismantled in the night by a company of actors and carpenters, the timber and other materials actually went onto to be used in the construction of The Globe Theatre. Located on bankside in Southwark.



Similar to many other Elizabethan amphitheatres which were constructed after, The theatre was described as octagonal or circular structure in terms of shape, which included 8 to 24 sides. There was an open are in the centre which was known simply as the 'pit' or 'yard'. This area was surround by three tiers of seating at different levels with balconies overlooking the back of the stage, with a projected section of the amphitheatre stage roughly halfway into the 'yard'. Theatre goers had to pay various prices depending on the seating levels.



The audience capacity of the average amphitheatre was between the figure of 1500 and 3000. The materials used in the process of construction included timber,flint, nails and the roofing was thatched which made these structures very vulnerable in the event of a fire. Theatre goers who sat in the pit paid one penny which was placed in a box at the entrance upon arrival. The boxes were collected and stored in a room known as a box office. which is how the term box office cemented itself in our society today. There was usually one main entrance to the playhouse and the owner of the establishment was called a 'housekeeper' a term also used today but under different circumstances.

 There was no clear heating system in place amongst playhouses therefore plays were usually put on during the summer months. During the winter period plays took place in indoor playhouses. There were also no toilet facilities in place therefore playgoers had to take care of buisness outside adding to the extreme sewage problem. Playhouses were almost all circular all octogonal in shape just like James Burbage's theatre. As previously mentioned most playhouses had 8 to 24 sides and were up to 100 feet in diameter and the height of the raised stage varied between 3 to 5 feet and usually supported by various pillars. Dimensions of the stage varied, lowest being 20 feet wide and 15 foot deep, the largest being 45 feet to 30 feet. Only rich masked women attended playhouses to maintain their reputation. The median of music was only added in the 1600s. Other effects were used to allow actors to fly and have grand entrances. These being made a reality with the use of rope and rigging. Trap doors were implemented into the floor of the stage to incorporate the effect of smoke into the action. this could be a tremendous risk however due to the fact the floor of the playhouse was made of wood, the structure itself also made from flammable materials.

Although Shakespeare would of been only 12 years old following the construction of 'The Theatre'. Shakespeare and his company 'The Lord Chamberlain's men' were one of several companies to perform there before Burbage and Allen could not agree on a new lease. Aswell as performing at 'The Theatre' Shakespeare's company played at another amphitheatre called 'The Curtain, built in 1577 and of course 'The Globe'. His company also had the chance to perform in front of royalty at Court to queen Elizabeth I aswell as King James I. Shakespeare's company had always planned to establish their own indoor playhouse and the chance finally arose when Burbage's company seized Blackfriars indoor theatre through a lease and were able to perform there during the Christmas period.

Blackfriars indoor theatre 

After the demise and deconstruction of 'The Theatre',The Globe opened up two years later in 1599 and held many of Shakespeare's most well known plays. In 1613 surprise surprise it unfortunately burnt to the ground following a fire breaking out across the thatched roof during Henry VIII. A second Globe was swiftly established a year later.  The reason why Shakespeare was able to hold most of his famous plays was because during construction of the first globe, the cost was spread across a lease with the five partners in TLCM, which Shakespeare was a part of therefore the company was able to afford to build this particular playhouse.

An illustration displaying the demise of the first Globe theatre 

There were two main types of  playhouses in Elizabethan England, one being an outdoor playhouse which would of held productions during the summer months. These were known as amphitheatres and were far more popular as more people from different social classes could afford to watch shows there. The second type being indoor playhouses which put on productions during the winter months. These were usually referred to as 'halls' or 'private playhouses'. The target audience for these establishments were the very rich, the audience capacity was only 500 as oppose to outdoor playhouses which could hold up to anywhere between 1500 and 3000.

Before playhouses theatre took place in Inn-yards. Essentially just yards were people could come and watch some inexpensive theatre, in some cases shows took place indoors. The audience capacity was around about 500.

An Elizabethan inn-yard

Q2: All actors were male, even the female parts which were often played by prepubescent boys. Many boys who played female parts actually received lead poisoning from the white makeup they used and in turn a large proportion of them died.

Information page displaying how horrible lead poisoning is.

In 1629 a visiting french theatre company used women to play the female roles, this was met with severe outrage with the crowd and the actors were pelted with projectiles, hissed and booed offstage. Actors themselves and their profession was not trusted, actors were usually referred to as rogues or vagabonds.

Actors were seen as troublemakers and used to even travel round the country in carts, locating large crowds to watch them perform and maintain a living before the introduction of playhouses. Travelling actors required licenses to travel. Plays were often regulated and prone to censorship especially if they spoke ill of the government. Theatre increased in popularity tremendously in a very short space of time. Many actors invested in shares in their companies and theatres which they performed in and in turn became very wealthy. Although actors in that period unlike today were not paid vast sums of money for their performances and in some cases their shares received cuts.Women were only able to act in playhouses until 1660.

High class Elizabethan actors

Most women parts were played by young boys however the comedic female roles were cherished and in most cases reserved for famous comic actors or popular fools. For example roles like Juliet's fumbling nurse in Romeo and Juliet would be played by a man and often look hideous adding to the thrill. Actors were also required to have a variety of skills such as fencing onstage, gruelling dance sequences and the ability to play an instrument and sing various songs.

Instead of going down the road of historical accuracy, costumes would be visually striking adding more attraction to various shows. Costumes were crucial as they provided another kind of spectacle for the theatre goers. Most costumes were usually second hand passed down from actual nobles.

Staging was very minimal in Elizabethan theatre, most plays had very little scenery, only using props which were vital to the story line of the play. Such as weapons, thrones, tables, beds or a grave. Actors had to rely on their talent, costumes, special effects, grand entrances and of course each other. Although most entrances and exits were in clear view of the audience grand entrances were a key part of Elizabethan shows. Actors, usually those playing the hero could 'descend from the heavens' using rope. Or actors playing the villain or the fool could 'emerge from hell' using a trapdoor.

Midsummer Night's Dream being performed, you can clearly the set is extremely minimal however the costumes are very elaborate and visually striking