Theaters

The theaters back in Shakespeare's time did not have sound effects so they had to make there own, unlike theater's these days where there are many sound effects to add a dramatic effect to the play.

the Queen would go to the theater often, many people say that if the Queen had not supported the theater as much as she did, the theater would not have lasted to this day.

Groundlings were charged one penny for admission, and they were free to move around on the gorund and interact with the people in the plays.

If it rained, the groundlings could pay an extra penny to sit under one of the galleries, under cover of a roof.

The actors, however, were not so lukcy, rain or shine, the play would go on, no matter how hard it rained.


citations:
"Globe theater admission prices." Shakesspeare's Globe Theater. Online. Internet. 23 Oct. 2007. Available: www.aboutbritian.com

Theatre Designs

Theatres in Shakespeare's time were designed very differently from the theatres we have today. The Globe had a hexagonal structure with an inner court that was about 55 feet across. It was 3 stories high with no roof and it had an open courtyard with three semi-circle galleries. The stage itself had two parts. The first part was the outer stage which was a rectangular platform projecting into the courtyard, from the back wall. Above it was a thatched roof and hangings, but it didn't have front or side curtains. The second part was the inner stage which was the recess between the two wings at the very back of the outer stage. Below the stage was a cellar that was called "hell" and it was accessed by trapdoors. This cellar was used in scenes when a character came up from below or in a scene with ghosts, witches, etc. There was also a tiring house which was the three story part of the building that held dressing rooms. The tiring house had three levels; the first level was the inner stage and was only used if needed. A curtain could be drawn back to reveal what was happening here. This section was used when a scene was used as a backdrop for another scene, such as a game of chess. The second level was a balcony which was used when plays required a balcony. Romeo and Juliet was the most famous play that involved balcony scenes. The third level was the music loft and dressing rooms. The dressing rooms were concealed by curtains and had doors to the stage. In the audience section there were also two parts. The first part was a big open area where people stood and watched the play. These people paid a great deal less than the people who sat up above in balconies. The balconies were usually reserved for rich people.
Sets were also very different from today. There were no sets because they could not be changed in between scenes due to the lack of curtains. Also props were set on stage at the beginning and left there, sometimes even once they were no longer needed. Plays during Shakespeare's time often relied heavily on the audience's imagination, but were a fun and entertaining event for all involved.

Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare's Globe. Shakespeare Online. 2000. (10/23/07). <>

theaters.

There were three main theaters that Shakespeare wrote plays for. They were The Globe, The Theatre, and The Curtain.

The Globe
: Was constructed in 1599 and was the most elaborate and attractive theater yet built.
: Designed and constructed by Cuthbert Burbage for the Chamberlains men.
:A lot of Shakespeare’s wealth came from the Globe.
:During a performance a misfired cannon set the roof on fire and set the whole theater onfire. It was rebuilt that same year.
:The new Globe lasted until 1644. At that time it was torn down and housing developments were built there.
:Recent attempts have been made to re-create the globe.
:There are replicas in London and Tokyo.
:People think that the globe was a hexagonal shape that was three stories high and had no roof.
:The open courtyard and and three semicircular gallaries could hold more than 1,500 people.

The Theatre
:The Theatre was the first London playhouse.
: It was built in 1576 by James Burbage.
:Located in a northern suburb of London.
:It was a vast polygonal, three story timber structure, open to the rain and the sun.
:Like the Globe, the Theatre had two external staircases that lead up to the galleries.
:The people who stood by the main yard were forced to stand during the entire performance.
:The Theatre fell to government censorship because of the production of a “seditious” play called the Isle of Dogs.
:This caused all of London theatres to be closed for the summer of 1597.
:The Theatre never reopened and was dismantled in 1598.

The Curtain
:The Curtain was the second London playhouse and it was built in 1577 right next to the Theatre.
:It had the same structure of the Theatre but only slightly smaller.
:There is no record of the Curtain after 1627.

Citations:

Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare's Globe. Shakespeare Online. Online. Internet. 23 Oct. 2007. Available: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/theatres/theglobe.html

Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare's Globe. Shakepeare About. Online. Internet. 23 Oct. 2007. Available: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/studentresources/a/woodeno.htm


Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare's Theatres: The Curtain." Shakespeare Online. Online. Internet. 23 Oct. 2007. Available: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/theatre/thecurtain.html

The Elizabethan theater.

The theatres of our time obviously differ a lot from the theatres of Shakespeares time, they did not have electricity, plumbing, women could not act on stage, the theatres were a lot smaller than the theatres of today, and these days theatres can be designed much more elaborately than in shakespeares time. The people that went to the theatre also differed somewhat from today, mostly common people went to the theatres, but royalty and higher up officials also went to the theatre to watch Shakespeares plays, for example, Queen Elizabeth I went to the globe theatre to watch Shakespeares plays. When common people went to the theatre they often stood in the open middle of the theatre, these people were called groundlings, but the wealthy people were most likely to sit sheltered from the weather in seats that were sheltered by an overhanging roof.

Various sources:
Mabillard, Amanda."The Globe." Shakespeares Theatres.16 May 2007. Shakespeare Online. 23 Oct. 2007 .


All other parts are of my own common knowledge.


The picture of the reconstructed theatre is from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Southwark_reconstructed_globe.jpg