Life in the Theater

Staging and Performance  Playhouses did not use movable scenery  Playwrights did not have to identify exactly where a scene took place

Staging and Performing  There were no women in the acting companies  The stage had no curtain  The stage was referred to as a “bare stage”  Props may include rocks, tombs, thrones, and banquets

Inside the Theater  The theaters were open and circular  They had no roofs  The floor was sometimes made of mortar and sometimes ash mixed with hazelnut shells.

Inside the Theater  The stage had a roof called “the heavens”  The stage was large and rectangular

Business Arrangements During this time period, most acting company managers would lease their companies to theater owners During this time period, most acting company managers would lease their companies to theater owners Shakespeare and 4 other people were the owners of The Globe Theater and an acting company Shakespeare and 4 other people were the owners of The Globe Theater and an acting company Because they did not work for some one else, but were company mangers, they were referred to “common players” Because they did not work for some one else, but were company mangers, they were referred to “common players”

Business Arrangements Because they did not work for someone else, but were company managers, they were referred to as “common players” Because they did not work for someone else, but were company managers, they were referred to as “common players” “common players” were usually associated with beggars “common players” were usually associated with beggars

London Playhouses   Some of Shakespeare’s plays were played at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge   There were 2 types of theaters; outdoor and public playhouses   Some famous playhouses are named “the rose”, “the swan”, “the globe”, and “the hope”.   All of the playhouses had to be built outside the jurisdiction of the city of London. This is because many civic officials were hostile to the performance of dramas.

London Playhouses   The public theaters were very different from today.   The theaters were 72 to 100 feet with audiences as big as 2 to 3 thousand people.   People paid extra to stand in the back if there were no seats available

Works Cited  “Shakespeare’s Theater-Folger Shakespeare Library.” Folger Shakespeare Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 April. 2012