- The reputation of the Elizabethan theatre rests above all on the work of William Shakspeare (1564-1616)
-William Shakspeare was considered the greatest playwright of all time.
-The company that Shakspeare belonged to (The Lord Chamberlin's Men and later the Kings Men)
I. Plays and Playwrights
- There were at least two companies playing in or around London
-They preformed six times a week, every day except sunday.
-The times of the preformances were; in the afternoon beginning around 2pm
and during normal working hours.
- London was still a relatively small city, only around 200,000 people. companies were in strong competiton for audience
-Due to this fact companies changed the bill everyday.
-New plays came around every seventeen days, the average length of a play was ten preformences
-New plays were in constant demand , this was a playwrights delight
- Playwights didn't care about being published
-It wasn't untill 1616 when Ben Jonson collecteted and published all of his own dramas, did plays start to be recognized as literature.
-Shakspeares work wasn't published untill several years afeter his death
- Writting as a living
-A person who made a living selling plays, had to sell four or five plays a year
-Shakspeare only wrote two a year but he was also a actor and a major shareholder in his company
*after 1599 William Shakspeare was part owner of the Globe Theatre, this is where the company preformed
*Soon William was involved in almost every aspect of the theatre, making him wealthier then any of his fellow dramatists
- More then new plays
-More then a steady stream of new plays a company needed a preformence space.
-As the profession became more accepted and popular, buildings were built spacifically for performing w\were built.
-Amung the first to be built was the Red Lion, which was built in 1567
-The best of the earlier theatres was The Theatre, which was built in 1576
- The Globe
-The theatre used by William Shakspeares company after 1599.
-The Globe was basically round and had 3 levels of roofed galleries enclosed unroofed open space, which was called the yard.
-The Globes stage extended to the middle of the yard, it was viewed from three sides by spectators sitting in the galleries or standing in the yard.
*The stage was sheltered by a roof, a.k.a "the heavens" or "the shadow"
-The stage elements were an adaption of medieval conventions
-The Stage also had things in common with Greece and Rome
*The location for all the scenes were described through dialect, this was called "spoken decor"
*The time and place was all up to the playwright, the choices were unlimited
- Costumes
-Most costumes, regardless of the historical era of the play were clothed in the Elizabethan garments appropriate to thier rank, age, and profesion
-Other kinds of costumes were used sparingly
*Greek and Roman: drapery superimposed on Elizabethan dress
*Ghost,witches,fairies, and allegorical figures: Fanciful garments corresponding to ideas of the mythical creatures
-Costumes were a high priority for companies as well as a great expense
- Lighting
-Not a issue.
-Preformances were preformed outdoors during daylight hours
-Darkness was indecated by the characters carrying lanterns or candles. Either that or by dialect.
- Companies
-The most important factor
-Companies were made of twenty-five or more whom more then half were shareholders
*the shareholders made all the important decesions, played most of the major roles, and shared any profit
-A number of hired men were paid weekly as actors, prompters,musicans, stagehands, or wardrobe-keepers.
*there were also four to six apprentices, boys who played female roles
*All members of the company were males, the were no english actresses until 1661
-Because of the many characters in each play, there was a lot of double casting
*Since a company preformed a different play each day, an actor was responsible for many lines
- Elizabethan Theatre
-Elizabethan actors did not wear masks, unless if they were used as disguises
*every line was spoken and behavier was based on that familiar to the audience
-Elizabethan theatre included a musical elemant
*trumpets were sounded to mark the entrance of kings, to call attention to important announcments and serve as signals in numerous battles
*Music accumpanied songs and dances in many plays, most performences concluded with a lively jig
