Productions In Shakespeare's Day
The actors in Shakespeare's time were all men. This means that men played women's roles, they had make-up, wigs, the whole nine yards. It is said Shakespeare played the ghost in his play Hamlet. All of his plays had special effects. Things like flames, smoke, loud bangs, even cannons! They have trap doors so that evry now and then the actors could surprise the audience. To see one of Shakespeare's play, if you were poor you'd pay a penny. If you were of a higher class you'd pay as much as half a crown. If rich men wanted to sit on stage, they would have to play twelve pennies or back then, one shilling. The audience attenders were from two main social classes, but every now and then the extremely poor would go if they picked a pocket. Elizabethan tradesmen stood in the pits, they were called "groundlings" and they stood there because they wanted to see a good fight or dirty joke. Sometimes during the summer, his plays would be held in an outdoor theatre. The actors in his plays social status weren't very high. The playwrights social status was just a bit better than the actors. Even though it was popular, it attracted criticism, censorship, from some people of the society. The actors wore lavish costumes consistent with upper class clothing. The stage scenery was minimal, it consisted of painted panels onstage. The theatres were makeshift, dirty, loud, but they attracted crowds as large as 3,000 people from all social classes. The performances last about two to three hours. Shakespeare would sometimes play in his own plays, mainly as older men. Richard Burbage was probably one of the most popular actors at that time, he starred in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Richard was part of Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. During this time, acting wasn't an appropriate profession for women. Puritan leaders from the church considered actors being questionable characters. They criticized playwrights for using the stage to spread their opinions. The Puritans were worried that disease would spread from the crowded theatre. The plays shown were often coarse and boisterous, and the playwrights and actors belonged to a bohemian class. Parliment censored plays for profanities, heresy, or politics. King James offered protections that helped the theatre survive. To help ease the Puritans' worries the Queen established rules for the theatres, the rules were loosely enforced for the Curtain, the Globe, the Rose, and the Swan. Those theatres were the only ones that the rules weren't strict to. The reason why is because the rules applied only to the theatres in London city limits. Those four theatres were just outside of London within reach of of the theatre-going public. Most of the performance spaces were arranged so the spectators could watch both the play and the behavior of other spectators. While viewing the plays, the audience could express their distaste or satisfaction towards the actors onstage. At a time the theatres were closed down, but when King Charles II took the throne they were reopened.
"Elizabethan Theatre." Shakespeare In American Communities. National Endowment For The Arts, Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/elizabethan-theater
"Elizabethan Theatre." Shakespeare In American Communities. National Endowment For The Arts, Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/elizabethan-theater