The Shakespearen theatre

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THE SHAKESPEAREN THEATRE

The plays of Shakespeare during his lifetime were performed on stages in private theatres, provincial theatres, and playhouses. His plays were acted out in the yards of bawdy inns and the great halls of the London Inns of Court.

Today we are going to talk about one of the most well known of all the renaissance stages associated with Shakespeare. But first a brief introduction to some of the other Elizabethan theatres to provide a more complete picture of the world in which Shakespeare lived and worked.

The Theatre

The Theatre was the first London playhouse, built in 1576 by the English actor and entrepreneur James Burbage, father of the great actor Richard Burbage and friend of Shakespeare. Located in a northern suburb of London, it was a vast, polygonal, three story timber structure, open to the sun and rain. Its exterior was coated with lime and plaster. It had features such as galleries, upper rooms, a tiring house, and trap doors in the stage floor. The theatre had two external staircases, standing on either side of the building, and leading up to the galleries. Those people, who watched from the main “yard” surrounded by the comfortable covered galleries, were forced to stand during the entire performance. The theatre was home to many acting companies, but was used primarily by Shakespeare’s acting troupe, the chamberlain’s men, after 1594. Unfortunately the theatre fell victim to government censorship due to a production and was dismantled in 1598 forcing the chamberlain’s men to find another home.

The Curtain

The curtain was the second London playhouse, built in 1577, next to The Theatre north of the London wall. It had the same structure as The Theatre, only slightly smaller, and at times the two were under the same management. Between 1597 and 1598, The Curtain was the home of chamberlain’s men before they moved to the Globe in 1599. The Curtain was used by many popular acting companies after the chamberlain’s men, including the Queens Men and the Prince Charles Company but there is no record of the Curtain after 1627.

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The Globe

The Globe theatre was constructed in 1599, out of timber taken from the Theatre. It stood next to the Rose (theatre), on the south side of the Thames, and was the most elaborate and attractive theatre yet built. The Globe was designed and constructed for the chamberlain’s men by Cuthbert Burbage, son of the theatres creator James Burbage. The lease for the land on which the Globe stood was co owned by Burbage and his brother Robert, and by a group of five actors, including Shakespeare. Much of Shakespeare’s wealth came from his holdings in the Globe.

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