In the early days inn yards were used to perform the plays, where the temporary stages were put up by the actors. The inn yards were used as not only were they a ready built venue, but also people were attracted as they offered alcohol and rooms, and were an inexpensive form of entertainment. There was often also gambling and sometimes even bear-baiting in the inn yards. However the use of inn yards also had its problems, as it often attracted undesirables such as thieves, and often drunken fights would break out.
In 1576 the first permanent theatre – ‘The Theatre’ was built by James Burbage. Due to opposition from Puritans it was built outside the jurisdiction of the puritan dominated London in Shoreditch. In 1577 ‘The Curtain’ was also built in Shoreditch, and in 1587 ‘The Rose’ was built in Southwark – London’s red-light district. The theatres were built with just one entrance, allowing the owners to monitor entrance thoroughly – which meant that no one would avoid paying for entrance, and also any undesirables could be turned away. Rather than have capacity limited, they were built without a roof (open-air), which also meant that the theatres were open to the elements and there was a risk of fire. The admission fee was 1 penny for standing in the centre – “groundlings” and seats on the balconies were more expensive. The theatres allowed for a safer place to show plays as undesirables could not enter. Also the large capacity and the cheap admission for groundlings meant that many people could enjoy the plays, while those who were of a higher social level could still enjoy the same plays on the balconies, while everyone still had the same quality as the theatres were built like amphitheatres. These permanent fixtures meant that people could go and enjoy the theatre regularly.
With the establishment of these permanent theatres there was more work available for writers, encouraging more people to write and more talent. The first generation of successful writers were the university wits who were a group of dramatists who transformed theatre with their quality and diversity of plays, and were so named because they were graduates from Cambridge and Oxford. Christopher Marlowe, one of the university wits, developed blank verse and made it effective as a way to write plays. These university wits meant that plays could be written in a different style with more quality. Blank verse used by William Shakespeare in his many plays.
William Shakespeare did not attend university played a part in the development and popularity of theatre as he created plays that attracted people of all audiences, as his writing could be understood at different levels, and he also wrote a range of plays from comedy to tragedy. He was an actor and writer for the Lord Chamberlains Men, and his plays were performed at the Globe Theatre in Southwark.
There was a large audience for the plays, and by 1595 15,000 people visited the theatres each week – 20% of London’s population. Their popularity was due to people’s desire for basic entertainment, and clowns such as Will Kempe, who performed dances and physical comedy (but also played parts in some of Shakespeare’s plays) became stars. However sophisticated social, political and moral issues were discussed in the plays, which audiences also came to enjoy. Also the theatre was a place to meet up to discuss news and gossip – an alternative to church.
Theatres were also successful businesses, which meant that there was always a supply for the demand from audiences as businessmen and employees such as writers wanted to cash in.
The government also influenced the development of theatre, and themselves tried to use it, although rather unsuccessfully, to create pro-protestant plays to influence people. Theatres needed a license from the Master of the Revels before they could legally open. Plays were censored due to politically sensitive or offensive material - especially against the church as blasphemy was forbidden.
However not everyone enjoyed the theatres and there was opposition. Puritans had always opposed the plays as they believed it was a distraction from worshiping god, and also encouraged sin. The city authorities also opposed the plays as they were shown in the afternoon, therefore often taking employees away from their work. Respectable citizens also had more objections, due to the rise in crime, the fighting, drinking, and the nature of some plays. Also a major objection to theatres was because of the risk of the spread of the Bubonic Plague, as there were many people packed into a small space.
The development and popularity of theatre was due to the way it appealed to all audiences, as the theatres allowed for entrance of people from all ranges of the social structure, and the plays were written on different levels that everyone could enjoy.
