Playhouses in Elizabethan England
Playhouses:
The Globe Theater
Before the first playhouses were built in London in the late 16th century, plays were performed in the yards and upper rooms of the capital’s inns. By the early 1600s there were lots of playhouses just outside the City of London. There were two types:
The Globe Theater was the most famous theater and lots of Shakespeare's most famous plays were performed there. Shakespeare himself co-owned the 3-storey theater made out of oak, deal, and stolen playhouse frames. It could hold 3000 people.
- Open-air amphitheatres. These were usually polygonal. The stage faced the central yard and might have been covered. The audience stood around the stage in the yard because it was cheapest and the richer people stood or sat in the tiers of galleries that enclosed it. These playhouses used natural light.
- Indoor halls. These were rectangular, with the stage on one of the short sides. The audience sat either right in front of the stage where the seats were most expensive, or in galleries which ran around the other three sides of the room. They were lit by candles and torches.
The Globe Theater was the most famous theater and lots of Shakespeare's most famous plays were performed there. Shakespeare himself co-owned the 3-storey theater made out of oak, deal, and stolen playhouse frames. It could hold 3000 people.
Actors that performed for Shakespeare
In Shakespeare’s theatre actors were called players. There were no actresses, so women’s parts were played by boys. Some boys began their careers as Children of the Chapel Royal, while others were taken on by companies to play female roles.
William Kempe was one of the principal actors of Shakespeare's earlier plays, and one of the original shareholders in the Globe theater. He left the company with shakespeare. He specialized in broad clowning, and his parts included Peter in Romeo and Juliet and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Kempe was also famous for his dancing.
In 1599 Edward Allen was the most famous actor in Elizabethan England. He was first to play such towering characters as Marlowe's Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, and The Jew of Malta, and Greene's Orlando Furioso. His performances brought him universal admiration and praise from many contemporary authors.
Henry Condell was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men from 1598 until his death in 1627. With John Heminge, he was responsible for the printing of the first folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays in 1623.
Robert Gouche began as a boy player, and appeared with the company known from 1585 as the Admiral’s Men. In 1619, he was a sharer in the King’s Men. It has been suggested that the boy player Robert Goffe created the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, but there is no evidence to connect him with Robert Goughe.
The player John Heminge was a leading sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men from 1596 until his death in 1630. He may have played Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The player John Lowin became a member of the King’s Men in 1603. He may have played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and taken one of the principal roles in The Two Noble Kinsmen. Shakespeare is said to have instructed him in the title-role of Henry VIII. Lowin was a sharer in the company by 1610. After the death of John Heminge, he became joint manager with Joseph Taylor of the King’s Men.
Augustine Phillips was a player with Lord Strange’s Men in 1593. In 1594 he was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and he remained with the company after it became the King’s Men until his death in 1605. Phillips’s roles in Shakespeare’s plays may have included Bolingbroke in Richard II, and King Henry in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
William Kempe was one of the principal actors of Shakespeare's earlier plays, and one of the original shareholders in the Globe theater. He left the company with shakespeare. He specialized in broad clowning, and his parts included Peter in Romeo and Juliet and Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Kempe was also famous for his dancing.
In 1599 Edward Allen was the most famous actor in Elizabethan England. He was first to play such towering characters as Marlowe's Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, and The Jew of Malta, and Greene's Orlando Furioso. His performances brought him universal admiration and praise from many contemporary authors.
Henry Condell was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men from 1598 until his death in 1627. With John Heminge, he was responsible for the printing of the first folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays in 1623.
Robert Gouche began as a boy player, and appeared with the company known from 1585 as the Admiral’s Men. In 1619, he was a sharer in the King’s Men. It has been suggested that the boy player Robert Goffe created the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, but there is no evidence to connect him with Robert Goughe.
The player John Heminge was a leading sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men from 1596 until his death in 1630. He may have played Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
The player John Lowin became a member of the King’s Men in 1603. He may have played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and taken one of the principal roles in The Two Noble Kinsmen. Shakespeare is said to have instructed him in the title-role of Henry VIII. Lowin was a sharer in the company by 1610. After the death of John Heminge, he became joint manager with Joseph Taylor of the King’s Men.
Augustine Phillips was a player with Lord Strange’s Men in 1593. In 1594 he was a sharer in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and he remained with the company after it became the King’s Men until his death in 1605. Phillips’s roles in Shakespeare’s plays may have included Bolingbroke in Richard II, and King Henry in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.
How the playhouses changed
The main difference between the theatres is electronics. Our new theatres have many powerful electric lights, controlled by computer, so a variety of effects are possible. Although there were indoor theatres which were lit by candlelight, most Elizabethan stages were lit by the afternoon sun. Also, we have the ability to amplify voices electronically and add sound effects and music which are played through speakers. In the 16th century, actors had to project their voices, and sound effects and music had to be created right there in the theatre.
In other ways, our modern theatres resemble those of Shakespeare's day more strongly than those of the eighteenth or nineteenth century. Many modern theatres have thrust stages just like the Elizabethan ones whereas all theatres build in the 18th and 19th century, and well into the 20th, have proscenium arches. The 19th century had a fondness for complex, realistic, and sometimes grandiose sets which were difficult to change. Like Elizabethan theatre, many modern plays and productions make use of minimal sets. 18th and 19th century productions all opened with curtains covering the stage being drawn back. Elizabethan and most modern productions do not have curtains.
There were not many actresses in Elizabethan England. Mostly males appeared on stage.
In other ways, our modern theatres resemble those of Shakespeare's day more strongly than those of the eighteenth or nineteenth century. Many modern theatres have thrust stages just like the Elizabethan ones whereas all theatres build in the 18th and 19th century, and well into the 20th, have proscenium arches. The 19th century had a fondness for complex, realistic, and sometimes grandiose sets which were difficult to change. Like Elizabethan theatre, many modern plays and productions make use of minimal sets. 18th and 19th century productions all opened with curtains covering the stage being drawn back. Elizabethan and most modern productions do not have curtains.
There were not many actresses in Elizabethan England. Mostly males appeared on stage.