Download Elizabethan theaters first started in the courtyards

Theater and Stage
By:
Ryan Driggs
Maritza Sanchez
Justin Moon
Goldameir Wu
Birth of Elizabethan Theaters
Elizabethan theaters first started in the courtyards of Inns, called
“Inn-yards”
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Traveling acting groups sought lodgings in town inns or taverns
and they often performed at their place of stay.
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People were charged upon entering, and an additional fee for a
balcony seat.
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Famous Elizabethan Inn-Yards
The Bull Inn
The Bel Savage Inn
The Cross Keys
The Bell
The Saracen's Head Inn
The Boar's Head Inn
Transition into Playhouses and
Amphitheaters
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Hundreds of people would gather for these Inn-yards
and entrepreneurs soon realized that these plays
yielded considerable profits.
Due to the rise in popularity of plays, the staging of
plays moved from Inn-yards to playhouses and
amphitheaters
Playhouses and amphitheaters were new innovations
for entertainment, it was exciting, popular, and the
place to go for.
This lead to a booming new industry that gave birth to
many great actors and play writers
Playhouses
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Compared to the huge amphitheaters,
playhouses were small, indoor and private.
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Audience capacity of 500 people
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Open for business year round
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Admission was generally more expensive, this
weeded out most common-folk.
All audience members have a seat
Generally more comfortable and luxurious, and
high class
Amphitheaters

Mostly made out of wood and in a circular or
octagonal shape
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Audience capacity of 1500-3000 people
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Only open during summer
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No toilet
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One main entrance, no heating, no artificial
lighting
Attracted all audiences including common-folk.
Famous Playhouses and
Amphitheaters
Playhouses
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Paul's Playhouse
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Blackfriars Playhouse
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The Cockpit
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Salisbury Court Playhouse
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Gray's Inn Playhouse
Middle Temple Inn
Playhouse
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Whitehall Playhouse
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Whitefriars Playhouse
Amphitheaters
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The Theater
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Newington Butts Theater
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Curtain Theater
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Rose Theater
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Swan Theater
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Fortune Theater
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Boars Head Theater
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Red Bull Theater
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Bear Garden
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Bull Ring
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Hope Theater
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Globe Theater
Component Parts of The Elizabethan
Theater– Origin and Survival
• An enclosed space in which to erect a stage and
house an audience.
• Entrances to and exits from the theater for the
audience and actors.
• Sitting and standing accommodations for the
audience.
• Platform stage.
• Traps.
• Background for the stage with entrance and
exits doors .
Component Parts of The Elizabethan Theater–
Origin and Survival (cont.)
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Curtain alcove.
Curtained balcony stage.
Terras.
Window stages.
Gallery for musicians.
Overhead shelter for actors.
The “huts.”
Bell tower and flagstaff.
Dressing rooms, property room and wardrobe
room.
• A swinging sign.
Globe Theatre
 Built in London's Bankside district in 1597-1598 by
Williams company
 Seating capacity = 3000
 3 stories high with a diameter of approximately
100 feet
 One of four theatres in the area, along with The
Swan, The Rose, and The Hope
 6 owners of the Globe Theatre: Cuthbert
Burbage (25%) ,Richard Burbage (25%)
,William Shakespeare (12.5%) ,John Heminges
(12.5%) ,Augustine Phillips (12.5%) Thomas
Pope (12.5%)
 Architect- Dr. John Dee
Why was the Globe Theatre built?
*James Burbage obtained lease and permit to build,
the first theatre, “the Theatre”
*Owner, Alan Giles, disapproved of the theatre and
the Chamberlin acting company (company to
which William Shakespeare belonged)
*Burbage opened negations to renew the lease but
when all failed the Globe Theatre was built
* A clause in the original agreement allowed the
actors to tear down the Theatre and transport the
timber to the site of the Globe Theatre
Interesting Facts
 The Globe was built in a similar style to the Coliseum, but on a
smaller scale
 Also used for gambling and for immoral purposes
 The Globe Theatre was demolished by the Puritans. On 15th
April 1644 landowner Sir Matthew Brend demolished the
playhouse and built tenement houses on the site
 First Globe theatre burnt down in 1613
 Theatrical Performances were so popular that in 1591 the
growing popularity of theatres led to a law closing all theatres
on Thursdays so that the bull and bear baiting industries would
not suffer
 Flags were used to advertise the themes of plays. black flag
indicated a tragedy, a white flag indicated a comedy and a
red flag indicated a History
The Staging
• The product of the actors work and the structure
of the stage.
3 categories of Amphitheater and Hall staging:
Stage Realism
Stage Business and Effects
Properties, Costumes, and Perspective Scenery
Modern Theater vs. Elizabethan Theater
A modern director
The director's function is to ensure the quality
and completeness of a theatrical production
and to lead the members of the creative
team into realizing his artistic vision for it.
The director therefore works with a team of
creative individuals and other staff,
coordinating research, stagecraft, costume
design, props, lighting design, acting, set
design, stage combat, and sound
design for the production.
An Elizabethan “director”
From Renaissance times up
until the 19th century, the
role of director was often
carried by the socalled actor-manager. This
would usually be a senior
actor in a troupe who took
the responsibility for
choosing the repertoire of
work, staging it and
managing the company.
Modern lighting and sound
Most theaters have scores of lights and legions
of microphones
Shakespearian lighting and sound
Theater Etiquette
1 Don’t just switch off your mobile in response to what’s very likely a cute invitation
from some fake-friendly voice. Make sure it’s off before you enter the theatre.
2 Never whisper, let alone talk, during the performance. If you’re hard of hearing,
don’t bother your companion for info about the plot. And don’t hum along with
songs, even if they’re by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
3 Don’t bring picnics. In fact, don’t eat anything, not even your fingernails, even if
the play is, well, nail-biting. If you must buy an ice cream in the interval, make
sure you finish it and dispose of the carton before the restart. The scraping at
remnants sounds like scratching on a wall.
4 If you fear that you’ll cough, bring a handkerchief to smother your mouth and
pastilles to put in it. Considerate theatre goers would rather asphyxiate than
interrupt a good actor.
5 Always apologize if someone is forced to stand as you make your way to your
seat, but if you are late (and you should never be) reduce your apology to a
quick, sorrowful nod.
Elizabethan Theater Etiquette
• Gambling – the Elizabethans loved to gamble
• Fights and brawls
• Drinking (there were no toilet facilities in the
theatre)
• Theft
• Fruit and nut sellers
• Prostitution
Target Audience
• Modern plays and films are made
for a relatively narrow
demographic
• In Elizabethan theater, the
plays needed to appeal to all
walks of life