Life in the Theatre

By

Matt Robinson, Justin Klem and Parker Bennett

THEATRE:

A theatre is “an outdoor structure for dramatic

performances or spectacles in ancient Greece and

Rome” ~Merriam-Webster

WHAT DOES A THEATRE LOOK LIKE?

The average theatre had an average of 2,000 to 3,000 spectators crammed onto benches or pay to sit on balcony. Lower paying spectators sat in a yard, uncovered by a roof. The ground was made of hazelnut mixed with ash and the stage was covered with a roof.

FAMOUS SHAKESPEARIAN THEATRES IN LOND ON

Folger Theatre

The Swan Theatre

The Globe Theatre

SHAKESPEARE PERFORMANCES

During his performances, Shakespeare would come

onto the stage from hidden door. In the plays, there were no

female actors so men had to dress up as women. According to

records, women were allowed on English stages 200 years

before the Shakespearian time period. There were two acting

companies, on for both adults and for children. These two

companies competed to see which was superior. The adult

company won most of the time because they had Shakespeare.

This is actually a man

BUSINESS

Shakespeare's own company was responsible

for building The Globe Theatre. The company was

also self-supporting and managed its own actors.

This helped Shakespeare pay for the expenses

involved in upkeep of the theatre.

THE GLOBE THEATRE

The Globe Theatre was created by

Shakespeare’s own company. The theatre was

created in a circular shape to represent the Earth.

The Globe theatre is still operational and does

shows. The original Globe Theatre was going to be

shut down, so Shakespeare had it moved across the

Thames River to the opposite bank of where it stood

previously.

THE ROSE THEATRE

The Rose Theatre was another one of the

famous London playhouses. It was build on the bank

of the Thames River also along with many other

theatres. Recent archeological discoveries have been

made linked with the Rose Theatre. The Rose

Theatre is still in operation today.

FOLGER THEATRE

Folger Theatre is also still operating today. In

addition to being a theatre, Folger is also a library

consisting of many important and rare

Shakespearian time period items, such as

manuscripts and books. The library functions as a

place to research Shakespeare and similar “artists”.

WORKS CITED

Mowat, Barbara, and Paul Werstine. "London Playhouses and Other

Sites-Folger Shakespeare Library." Folger Shakespeare

Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

*Definition from: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

*Images from: Google Images