P art IV. T he S hakespearean T heatre By: Davis, Katie, Kyle, Kaitlyn, Sam, and T.J.

Q. A. W here were most theatres built? B. W hy is this so? C. W hy is the Globe Theatre so famous? A. M ost theatres were built out of the city, rather than the inner most which sounds more practical to attract more people. This is so for many cities viewed stuff they did as immoral, especially in the eyes of the church. B. Despite the theatre’s popularity it often received criticism for doing what the church said to be pointless and even unhealthy. Many people feared that going to a theatre will lead to a outbreak of a disease, such as plague, due to overcrowding. By moving the theatre’s location to the outskirts of a city it still attracts people but only people who wish to go there. C. T he Globe Theatre was not only one of the most recognizable theatres, it also was the location where Shakespeare performed most of his greatest plays. Some of those plays include Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Leer, as well as many others.

Q. A. W hat time of day did performances take place? B. H ow was the public notified about performances? A. P erformances normally took place in the afternoon or when the sun is the highest in the sky so the audience can fully see what’s going on, and lasted three to four hours with the rare exception to this. Shakespeare’s plays are normally spoken at the rate 1,000 lines per hour: Hamlet contains 4,024 lines (roughly four hours), Romeo and Juliet contains 3,093 lines (roughly three hours), and King Leer contains 3,499 lines (about three and a half hours). B. T he public was notified through flags. The theatre would hang different colored flags which all had their own meaning. Red would mean that the audience could go and see a history play. A black flag meant death or murder. A white flag stood for a light subject, normally a comedy.

Q. A. W ho played the female roles and W hy? A. F emale roles, during Shakespearean theatre times, were played by young boys between the ages of 13 and 19. Women were not allowed to be a part of the theatre for they were forbidden by law. This law kept in place until 1660 after being ruled as unfair, 44 years after Shakespeare's death.

Q. A. W hat type of scenery and props were used? A. S hakespearean Theatres, when first opened, rarely used props. However over time the use of props spiked due to how people tend to go to plays that contain a lot of special effects or props thus increasing the theatre’s profit. Most of the props were light items such as daggers, rope, books, candles, etc. This is to prevent the actors of being “sluggish” which would slow their pace or speed. As time went by, the props used in theatres got larger, such as beds, thrones, cannons, etc. The only catch to this is that these items were stationary and required a good bit of people to lift these items. Scenery was hardly used other than the standard theatre curtain being in the background.

Q. A. W hat were the costumes like? A. T he costumes worn by the actors didn’t always reflect the most accurate image of the time period of the play. This is so because there was a law in place that restricted wearing whatever you pleased. It was their form of dress code. The logic behind this is so there wouldn’t be a high status displayed through clothes. The costumes used in the play normally contained lots of colors to try to catch the audience’s eyes. The costumes of a certain play would be reused in other plays with slight modification.

Q. A. W hat other skills did actors need other than their acting abilities? A. A ctors needed to not only have a great acting ability but a long list of skills, such as being swift, and changing into a different costume if you have back-to- back scenes. You have to have a strong voice to be heard over the crowd. You have to be very good at taking orders and improvising at the last minute if something goes wrong. You have to be good at memorizing your script. Actors of this time period also had to be good at sword-fighting. You also have to make an emotional connection to your lines, like it was really you who was being killed in a scene.

Q. A. W hat was the cost of a standing room at the Globe? A. I t was only one penny due to how this area, referred to as the pit, is highly overcrowded. This is roughly equivalent to $12 USD.

Q. A. W ho was Richard Burbage? A. R ichard Burbage was one of the actors in Shakespeare’s plays. He had the main role in Hamlet and many more. Richard was also the son of James Burbage who was the owner of what is believed to be the world’s first theatre, London playhouse. This theatre was built in 1576.

Q. A. W ho were the King’s Men or Chamberlain’s Men? A. T he Kings Men and the Chamberlain’s Men were a group of actors for Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe theatre. They were often times the main actors of all plays at the Globe.

Q. I dentify / V ocabulary: The Pit: The area right beside the stage. The people would have to stand rather than sit in seats. The Groundlings: The term to describe people who pay money to be in the pit. The Heavens: The roofed area right above the stage. This is where actors would climb down on rope to get to the stage to make a shocking entry. The Trap Door: Just as it sounds to be, it’s a door on the stage that allows the actors to “magically” disappear. The Tiring House: The area behind the stage where actors would go to get ready to act on the stage which included getting into costumes.

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