The Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre in London , a place where William Shakespeare's most famous plays premiered; Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night, was built in 1599 in Southwark on the south bank of London’s River Thames by Richard Burbage. It was co-owned by Shakespeare, with a share of 12.5%. The Globe was a large, open-aired, three-tiered theater made out of timber taken from the Theatre-– a former theatre owned by Richard Burbage’s father.
The Globe Theatre burned to the ground on June 29, 1613, during a performance of Shakespeare’s last history play Henry VIII: Or, All is True, when a special effect, a cannon set light to the thatched roof and the fire quickly spread. The Globe was rebuilt in 1614.
In 1997 a third version of The Globe Theatre was built as “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre”, close to the original site in Southwark.
The sight of the theatre was a mesmerizing. Because of no electricity, all performances were held during the afternoon. None of the props that we have today, like the lights, speakers, or microphones, were present then. No play was repeated twice, all were performed at regular short intervals, in a repertory. The Elizabethan audiences were deprived of eye-catching background scenes and props. Thus emphasis was on the language and the costumes. The sumptuous, breathtaking clothes were the highlight of every performance. The materials were luxurious; velvets, furs, silks, lace, cottons and taffeta.
There were no actresses at that time; the male actors played the female characters too, like Ophelia in Hamlet or Desdemona in Othello. The acting profession had a bad reputation, though it gained more respect during Shakespeare's time. Actors were seen by the Elizabethan audience as u...
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...nce included people of all social and class backgrounds. The audience was divided into three major categories: the Royalty, the Nobles, and the Commoners, also known as the Groundlings. Elizabeth I herself attended the theatre on several occasions. The Commoners, the Elizabethan general public would pay 1 penny to stand in the 'Theatre Pit'. Rich nobles could watch the play from a chair set on the side of the Globe stage itself. Masks were worn by most of the affluent society women in order to disguise their identities. No toilets were present, one relived himself outside and sewage was buried in the soil. The audience was loud, boisterous and hot-tempered. The groundlings lacked proper “theatre etiquette”. They yelled boorish comments and threw food items at a bad performer. Women screamed or gasped when something frightening or gruesome occurred in the production.
The site of the Old Globe Theatre was rediscovered in the 20th century and a reconstruction started to take place as near to the place as possible. This is the theatre which still stands today, and which has been running, and holding many performances including ones written by Shakespeare.
Hodges, C. Walters. The Globe Restored: A Study of the Elizabethan Theatre. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. Print.
to see the completion of the construction of the Globe Theater. After his death, Burbage's sons
"Elizabethan Theatre Audiences." Elizabethan Theatre Audiences. Strayer University, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
A. Elizabethan Theatre - A Lecture. Elizabethan Theatre. 2005. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the Web. The Web.
It was New Year’s Day and the year was 1866, the building was the grandiose Turner Opera House. William M and Joseph M Turner od West Carrolton built the oldest standing Theater still in existence in Dayton, Ohio. The theater cost 225,000 dollars when first opened. The Turner Opera House on 138 North Main St. caught the attention of Daytonians and the rest of the country. The Victoria Theater has definitely had its ups and downs and trials and tribulations over the last 146 years. Having survived floods, fires and tragedies the Victoria Theater is still standing and is a prominent historical building in Dayton, Ohio.
Elizabethan Theatre was so popular that everyone enjoyed it; even Queen Elizabeth. She influenced some of the plays performed in that time and people were honored to perform plays for her. Plays were very important back then and were a part of life. Theatre in the Elizabethan Era was very prominent, including Coriolanus, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and could be attended by anybody.
In the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603) and the Jacobean Era (1603-1625), there was a fondness for spectacle and pageantry. At court, trumpets and drums resounded to announce mealtimes; in town, these instruments were used by theatre troupes to herald upcoming performances (Renaissance & Baroque Society of Pittsburgh, 2003, and Folkerth, 2002). Music, then, is applied boldly and lavishly in everyday life and in drama, an imitation of life.
You can go to the newer modeled globe theater in london and actually see what it was like. Like for example the ground on the newer model used to have peanuts on the ground untill one day when a kid had a allergic reaction and had to replace over a ton of peanuts and replaced it with grass. You can also take tours around and see the different places that the people sat at and where the actors would change costumes. In conclusion the globe theater is surrounded by history like one of the most well known and famous playwright/actor made his legacy there you may know him. His name was William shakespeare. And the creations that he made will go down in history as one of or maybe the greatest work in play/acting
Shakespeare was known to have a good relationship with Queen Elizabeth I who was on the throne during his time and also back when Shakespeare was born in 1564. She supported theatre work and also had her own acting company that she named ‘The Queen’s Men’. During this time, puritans were determined to close down theatres. “Puritans regarded theatres as abominable haunts of vice and corruption which a well-regulated state would
Montrose, Louis A. "The Shaping Fantasies of Elizabethan Culture." Rewriting the Renaissance. Ed. Margaret W. Ferguson, Maureen Quilligan, and Nancy J. Vickers. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1986, 65-87.
Actors were expected to memorize hundreds of lines at a time. While one play could be performing, actors would be practicing lines for their next show. Play writers also began to make roles for the actors in the theatrical pieces. The theaters that actors performed in were roofless so that the sun could be used as lighting. Theatrical shows were held in the afternoon because it provided the best amount of light for the show. When the people gathered into the theater, the different classes of people were separated by where they could afford to sit and watch the show. The lower classmen were situated on the bare earth where it was dirty and smelly because it was never cleaned. The owners’ of the theaters found it less expensive if they did not keep high maintenance of their establishments. Higher classmen sat under a roof and for a penny more, they could buy cushions for their seats.
The Globe Theater is widely known as the world’s greatest amphitheatre of its time, bringing in crowds of thousands of people. The Globe was also where most of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare, performed his plays. With its unique design, the audience was able to enjoy the plays. Inside of this round and globe-like structure, the people from all around the area packed into the seats to watch Shakespeare and his actors. Despite the Globe Theater’s success, the theater had gone through many shut downs and rebuilding projects. Finally, the Globe was demolished for the last time. It was not until years later that the theater was discovered. Now, people from around the world are learning about this amphitheater and its role in the Renaissance time period. The Globe Theater is known for its structure, audience and actors, and history.
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...
The theater was one of the primary forms of entertainment in Elizabethan England, as anyone, rich or poor could attend the plays.The rich would sit in boxes or galleries, while the poorer people would have to stand for the entirety of the play (Haigh). The poor would stand in front of the stage which would normally be raised about 4 to 6 feet and the theater could hold on average 3,000 people (Trumbull). The rich however usually watched plays in indoor private theaters, but sometimes would watch the plays in the outdoor public ones. Performances ...