The Elizabethan Theatre William Shakespeare The Elizabethan Theatre

The Elizabethan Theatre William Shakespeare

The Elizabethan Theatre • Roughly circular building – designed on the courtyard of an inn – Having galleries and windows – Had no roof over the central part

The Elizabethan Theatre • No stage lighting – plays were held at 2: 00 in the afternoon

The Elizabethan Theatre • • Open-air theater – performances depended on the weather Performances lasted about 2 hours

The Elizabethan Theatre • Women did not act in theater; young boys played the women’s parts.

The Elizabethan Theatre • Book holders kept the scripts as each actor usually only received his own lines and not a complete script. Bookholders would help if an actor forgot his lines.

Orchestra • The orchestra played in an area above the stage (3 rd level). • Today they play in the pit. (orchestra pit)

Stage Area • The stage area stuck out into the center audience area. There was a door on either side of the stage for exits and entrances.

Pit Area • The yard below the stage was known as the pit. • Here the poor or common people would stand to watch. • The floor of this area would often be covered with straw. • The poor were called groundlings, penny knaves, and stinkards.

Curtain • There was a main curtain used for various purposes throughout the play.

Trap Door • The Trap Door was used for certain entrances and exits. • Fireworks were often used as actors entered and exited the stage.

Balcony • The balcony was also used as part of the staging area. (i. e. Romeo and Juliet)

Inner Stage • The theater had an inner stage which was usually concealed by a curtain. • Certain scenes would be acted out in this inner stage.

Galleries • The wealthy filled the galleries which encircled the yard. • Gallery seats were just hard wooden benches w/o backs. • Royalty would occasionally sit on the stage itself in the earlier days of theater.

Audience • Audience interaction and participation was expected. Some parts of the scenes were even acted out in the audience.