By: Tyler Ksiazek Ian Halloran Drake Karel

 Built by James Burbage in 1576, the original theater stood for 21 years.  The lease on the land expired and the plans to rebuild it were declined.  On December 28, 1598, the theater was stripped down to its foundation and moved across the Thames river to Bankside to construct the Globe.  In 1613, it burned down but was rebuilt, and eventually destroyed by the Puritans in 1642.

 In 1989, the original foundation of the Globe was found.  In 1993, Sam Wanamaker led construction on a present day recreation on the original foundation.

 Many people were illiterate who attended the plays so flags above the stage were used to tell what type of play that was being performed.  A white flag meant a comedy, or a light subject.  A black flag represented a tragedy, usually associated with death.  A red flag expressed a play about history, these were also usually about death.

 Actors had to perform their own stunts and handle actual weapons so the acting was limited.  There were no microphones back then so actors would scream their lines and if the audience was too loud, you missed out on the play.  There were no backgrounds for the stage so the audience had to imagine the setting with the aide of a description in the beginnings of scenes.

 The majority of the audience stood on the lawn in front of and on the sides of the stage. The prices were normal admission and this section were called the “groundlings.”  The wealthiest people were seated in the seats with the best views and under the roof, paying a considerable amount more than the “groundlings.”

 The Globe was an open-air theater.  It had roofs over the seats but the stage was left open. This allowed for sunlight to pour in and light up the stage, rather than do it with candles. Due to this, most plays ended before night.

 The play Richard II, considered old at the time, expressed an anti-monarchic message. This play was preformed the day before the Essex rebellion which ultimately failed. The reason for this performance was to generate sympathy from the public for the rebellion to kill Queen Elizabeth. Nobody knows for sure, but some say this was part of a conspiracy.

 A real cannon was fired for special effects during a play and that was the cause of the fire of the first Globe.  Females were not allowed to act in the plays so young boys played parts of women and girls.  The Latin phrase “Totus mundus agit histrionem” was seen at the entrance of the theater and it translates to “The whole world is a playhouse.”  There was a trap door on the stage.

 "Globe Theatre Flags." Globe Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr  "Shakespeare's Globe." Shakespeare Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr  "Globe Theatre Flags." Globe Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr