Concetti Chiave
- The first permanent playhouses in London, like 'The Theatre' and 'The Globe', were built in the 16th century with a round or octagonal shape.
- The stage was centrally located, roofed, and surrounded by a pit with roofed galleries for the audience, featuring a balcony above for musicians and actors.
- Elizabethan actors were all male, often improvising, with young men playing women's roles; performances were continuous without scenery.
- The audience, including 'groundlings' and upper-class members, actively participated in performances by expressing emotions and enjoying diverse theatrical elements.
- The term 'box office' originated from the practice of placing entrance money into a box; audiences engaged with the plays by eating, drinking, and reacting vocally.
The first theatrical structures
The Elizabethan theater The first permanent playhouses were built in London during the 16th century. In 1576 was built the first 'the theater ' followed by 'the curtain', 'the swan' and 'the globe'. The shape was round or octagonal. The stage at the center wasn't too big. It was roofed and surrounded by the pit. All around the pit there were some roofed galleries. Above the stage there was a balcony reserved to the musicians or also used by the actors and the audience too.The actors could use a lot of special effects like a trap door on the stage. During the performances a flag flew above the theatre's roof.
Behind the stage there was a tiring house for the actors. There was no scenery, but they used tables , chairs and canvases . They could also use candles and torch for night scenes. The act was continuous, whith no breaks in the illusion.
The actors and the audience
The Elizabethan actors were all men and they had little time to learn long plays. They were always ready to improvise and the women role was played by young men.Elizabeth I loved watching plays , but these were performed indoor for her pleasure. In the theater the upper class payed 5 pens for the best seats in the lord's rooms, inside the galleries or on the sides of the stage. Although the 'groundlings' who were the standing members of the audience payed 1 penny which was the price for a loaf of bread. The audience used to put the money into a box at the entrance, from here comes the term 'box office'. The crowd ate and drank during the performances and freely expressed their emotions. They loved metaphor, long speeches and soliloquies. The horror scenes were very popular as well as history plays. There was a 'jig', a comic song, to announce the next play. The audience showed their approval or disapproval by whistling, shouting, applauding and even throwing things at the end of the performance.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the key features of the first permanent playhouses built in London during the 16th century?
- How did the audience participate in Elizabethan theater performances, and what were their preferences?
The first permanent playhouses, such as 'The Theatre', 'The Curtain', 'The Swan', and 'The Globe', were built in London in the 16th century. They were round or octagonal in shape with a central stage that was roofed and surrounded by a pit. Roofed galleries surrounded the pit, and a balcony above the stage was used by musicians and sometimes actors and the audience. Special effects like trap doors were used, and performances were continuous without breaks.
The audience in Elizabethan theaters was actively engaged, expressing emotions freely by whistling, shouting, applauding, or throwing objects. They enjoyed metaphor, long speeches, soliloquies, horror scenes, and history plays. The 'groundlings' stood for a penny, while the upper class paid more for better seats. The term 'box office' originated from the practice of placing money into a box at the entrance.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
