Download The Theatres

William Shakespeare
The Bard
1564 - 1616
Shakespeare's Birth,
Childhood, and Early
Adulthood
Childhood
• Born April 23 (we think), 1564
• Stratford-upon-Avon, England
• His father was a local prominent merchant and
served as alderman and bailiff for the city (both
important roles in the city's government).
Shakespeare's baptismal record on April 26, 1564.
Family Life
Married Ann
Hathaway in
November of 1582
(he was 18, she was 26)
The Theatres in London
About the theatres
Performances are banned in London due
to the Bubonic Plague, so actors look for
places to perform outside the city limits.
o
o
o
Though many authorities in London
despised the plays, Queen Elizabeth
loved them.
Later, Puritans condemn the plays and
deem them immoral.
The Theatres...
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The Theatre
The Rose
The Swan
The Globe
The Blackfriars
(indoor)
The Globe,
Shakespeare helped construct in 1598-1599
"Jacobean" Theatres
•
The first Blackfriars Theatre,
1576-1584
•
The second Blackfriars
Theatre, 1596-1655
•
Were indoor theatres in the
nicer part of London
•
Originally, the building was
part of a Dominican
monastery. The residents
nearby did not want
performances held there, so
they petitioned and won.
"Jacobean" Theatres
Richard Burbage
(prominent actor)
owned the second
theater and, beginning
in 1609, it was used in
the winter to perform
many of Shakespeare's
plays.
People who attended the theatres
included:
-merchants
-lawyers
-laborers
-prostitutes
-visitors from other countries
-nobility & royalty
•No lighting
•No scenery--just a
curtain
•Could hold around
2,000 people
The theatres were closed during the Bubonic Plague
in 1593, 1596, 1603, and 1608.
Theatre owners and
acting troupes had little
time to advertise and
many of the theatregoers couldn't read.
Therefore, they used a
flag system to let
audiences know when a
play would be
performed. Sometimes
they used pictures on the
flags, and sometimes just
colors.
The color of flag outside
the theatre would
indicate what type of
play would be
performed.
FLAGS:
= comedy; black = tragedy;
= history
Burning down
the house...
The Globe went up
in flames on June
29, 1613 during a
performance of
Henry the VIII when
a canon (part of the
show) misfired and
hit the wooden
beams and thatch
roof.
The Leading Playwrights
and Actors in the 1590s1600s
Acting Troupes
• The actors were considered "shareholders" and owned stock or
shares in the play texts, costumes, and props.
• Their pay depended on admission sales.
Acting
The actors were all men; young boys
(age 12-14) played the female parts.
Acting troupes would perform 30 - 40 plays per year, with the
majority of them being brand new plays.
Costumes...
•Richly decorated
•Didn't always match up to the time period of the play
•Looking good was more important than being realistic!
Costumes...