The Elizabe!an !

eatre
The theatre was linked to the religious celebrations. First it took place in the nave of the church, after
they moved outside. When english replaced latin, lay people replaced monks and priests.
The plays were called “Mystery Plays”. The drama quickly became the main form of art because:
- entertainment was rooted in communal life;
- the public were more trained in listening than in reading;
- permanent theatre were built on the South Bank in London;
- they prospered as economic enterprises.

Towards the end of the 16th century several theaters were built:
> the Theatre built by James Burbage in 1576
> the Curtain built by James BUrbage in 1577
> the Rose built by Philip Henslowe in 1587
> the Swan built by Francis Langley in 1595
> the Globe built by Cuthbert and Richard Burbage in 1599
> the Fortune built by Philip Henslowe in 1600

The playhouses were round or octagonal in shape and they were 12 metres high. They had a diameter of 25
metres with a rectangular stage, the apron stage; they had no curtain. The internal layout was
characterized by the same basic structure that consisted of:
- a stage partially covered by a thatched roof , or “shadow”, supported by two pillars and projected into
a yard or pit
- three tiers of roofed galleries around the stage with the actors’ tiring house at the back
- a trap door in the front of the stage used for discoveries or concealment

The “box-offices” offered wide range of prices:

- a penny granted entrance to the pit
- six pence granted entrance to seated places in the covered galleries. Only city merchants and nobility
could afford the price.

The spectators ate and drunk during the performance and they freely expressed their emotions with
laughter or tears. They were eager for sensation and overwhelming emotions. They also loved metaphors
and extremes and enjoyed thrills and horror. They loved chronicles and history plays with heroic deeds.

The actors had to join a company of a prominent figure and bear his livery and arms (the Chamberlain’s
man of Elisabeth I and the King’s men of James I). An actor shareholding depended on the sum he invested
to buy props and costumes of which he joint owner. They had to vary their repertoire and they had no
more than two weeks to prepare a play. They often found themselves playing several roles in the same
performance. Companies included 5-6 boys to play female roles until their voices broke. They learnt
singing, dancing, diction and feminine gestures and intonation from a very young age