In the Elizabethan time, the theatre was a very popular entertainment for rich and poor people, men and women alike. However, on stage, only male actors could act because women were not allowed to play.The poorer spectators stood in the uncovered pit in the middle. Only the rich audience could sit in the galleries which were covered with a roof. That is the reason why the actors only played there during summer. As there was no means of lighting the place, the performance took place during the day.There was no microphone either and the crowd shouted, ate and drank during the play, so it became very noisy. As a consequence the actors had to repeat their lines several times in different places on the stage to be heard by all the audience. There were always some comic scenes with clowns and songs, even in tragedies, to please the varied audience. You can now have an idea of what it was like by going to the Globe in London. It has been rebuilt on the Thames river exactly as it looked like at the time.
The theatre today…
The theatre in Shakespeare’s time
Mostly an intellectual entertainment
No poor or homeless spectators
The performance usually takes place in the evening
There are lighting and special effects
There are microphones and computers
Drinking is not allowed in the theatre
You are not allowed to eat during the performance
Men, women, boys and girls can be actors or actresses
The present Globe is situated near the Thames river in London.
In the Elizabethan time, the theatre was a very popular entertainment for rich and poor people, men and women alike. However, on stage, only male actors could act because women were not allowed to play.The poorer spectators stood in the uncovered pit in the middle. Only the rich audience could sit in the galleries which were covered with a roof. That is the reason why the actors only played there during summer. As there was no means of lighting the place, the performance took place during the day.There was no microphone either and the crowd shouted, ate and drank during the play, so it became very noisy. As a consequence the actors had to repeat their lines several times in different places on the stage to be heard by all the audience. There were always some comic scenes with clowns and songs, even in tragedies, to please the varied audience. You can now have an idea of what it was like by going to the Globe in London. It has been rebuilt on the Thames river exactly as it looked like at the time.
The theatre today…
The theatre in Shakespeare’s time
Mostly an intellectual entertainment
No poor or homeless spectators
The performance usually takes place in the evening
There are lighting and special effects
There are microphones and computers
Drinking is not allowed in the theatre
You are not allowed to eat during the performance
Men, women, boys and girls can be actors or actresses
The present Globe is situated near the Thames river in London.
Compteur
