Download Theatre of Elizabethan England

Theatre of
Elizabethan
England
The English Renaissance
As with the rest of Europe, during the
English Renaissance there was a growing
secularization of thought.
Shortly after Elizabeth I became queen in
1558, she decreed that no plays dealing
with religious or political subjects were to
be performed.
Commercial Theatre
Because the state, church and wealthy
individuals had withdrawn their funding,
theatre was forced to become
commercial.
Rather than occasional, official and free,
theatre became continuous, selfsupporting, and entertaining to keep the
public coming back.
Professional groups
Had to be able to
play often, to have
a stock of plays
large enough to
keep the audience
coming back and
have a large
performance
space.
Had to control their
own costumes,
scenery and other
production elements
and had to assemble
a company of full
time actors and
production
personnel.
Actors are vagrants
Since acting was not an accepted
profession, actors were considered
“masterless” men meaning that no
one was responsible for them.
They were considered vagrants and
threats to the social order and were
subject to arrest and punishment.
Ways around arrest
Acting companies petitioned
noblemen to serve as their patrons.
Companies had titles like the Lord
Admiral’s Men and the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men, but were given
little financial support.
Acting Companies
Made up of about 25 people, all men,
about half of which were shareholders
in the company.
A number of hired men were paid
weekly wages as actors, prompters,
musicians, stage hands or costumers.
There were 4-6 apprentices, boys who
played female roles.
The Globe
Held about 3000 people.
Basically round with an
exterior diameter of
approx. 99 feet.
Three levels of roofed
galleries enclosed in an
unroofed space (the
yard) approx. 74 feet in
diameter
More on the Globe
The stage
extended to the
middle of the yard
and was approx.
41 feet wide and
25 feet deep and
raised 5-6 feet
above the yard.
The stage was
sheltered by a roof.
Architecture of the Globe
At the back of the
stage was a multilevel
façade.
At least two large
doors on the stage
level permitted exits
and entrances.
The second level had
an acting space used
to represent balconies,
windows, etc.
Spoken decor
The background for all scenes was
the façade and the specific location
of a scene was established through
dialogue.
This greatly facilitated staging
because one scene could flow into
the next without a pause for
changing scenery.
Costumes and Lighting
Most characters,
regardless of the
historical era of the
action, were clothed
in Elizabethan
garments appropriate
to their rank, age,
and profession.
No masks, except as
disguises.
Lighting was simple
because
performances took
place in unroofed
structures during
daylight hours.
Darkness was
indicated in dialogue
and by carrying
candles, torches or
lanterns.
Atmosphere of plays
There were no intermissions.
Wine, beer, ale, nuts and playing cards
were sold in the theatres by vendors who
circulated during performances.
The atmosphere was somewhat like that
of a sports event.
Keeping the audience attentive and quiet
depended on the power of the play and
the skill of the performers.
New Plays Were Needed
There was a strong competition for
audiences and plays did not have long
runs.
Normally, the bill was changed every day.
New plays were performed once and then
at intervals until they lost their appeal.
In the 1590s, a London company
produced a new play about every 17 days.
The average life of a play was 10 shows.
Elizabethan playwrights
New plays were in constant demand, a
situation obviously favorable to
playwrights.
Thomas Kyd
Christopher Marlowe
Ben Jonson
John Webster
And, of course, William Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Perhaps the greatest playwright of all
time, very little is actually known about
William Shakespeare.
He lived from 1564-1616 and was the son
of John, a glove maker, and Mary.
He married Anne Hathaway, a woman
eight years his senior, and had three
children with her, the first of which was
conceived before their wedding.
Shakespearean facts
According to records, Shakespeare did
not graduate grammar school let alone
from a university.
The only handwriting samples for
Shakespeare are six signatures, three
incomplete and three on his will, all
almost illegible—this is referred to in the
opening sequence of the film
Shakespeare in Love.
In addition to a playwright, Shakespeare
was also an actor.
The Shakespeare authorship
controversy
There have been many theories through
the years that offer suggestions that the
man named William Shakespeare did not
actually write the plays.
It has been theorized that everyone from
Christopher Marlowe to the Earl of South
Hampton to Queen Elizabeth herself were
actually the authors.
The Plays of William
Shakespeare
38 plays—some of which are:
Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius
Caesar, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, King
Lear, MacBeth, and As You Like It.
In addition to his plays, Shakespeare
authored over 150 sonnets.