Why was Elizabethan theatre so successful?

An attraction to the theatre was its cheap entry cost, for groundlings it only cost 1 penny, this meant that it was accessible to even the poorest Elizabethans.  The theatre cost different amounts depending of where you wanted to be, the yard where everyone all stood together cost 1 penny, to sit cost 2 pennies and for a wealthy person to sit comfortably in a place where they could be seen by most of the people in the theatre cost only 3 pennies. The cheapness of this attracted people of all classes, the poor to see the wealthy and to have a cheapish day out, and the wealthy to show themselves and their riches off in front of everyone at the theatre.

The theatre was very successful because it held attractions for a wide variety of people. To the rich it offered a chance to show off their wealth and to make contacts. If you were a young, single man, going to the theatre dressed in your finest clothes could attract the attention of a young woman to you, and to criminals the theatre was an easy place to pick pockets and steal other desirable items from people in the crowd. To all the chance to buy fruit, nuts, wine and beer was also an attractive proposition.

Another attraction to the theatre was the actors, these men had difficult jobs, they had to learn their lines and queues in the evening, rehearse the play in the morning and then perform it in the afternoon, before going home to learn their lines to a new play. The actors had to perform in from of noisy audiences with no scenery of special lighting, and as no women were allowed to act they had to play all of the female roles as well. This meant that the best actors became famous very quickly, and when they performed they attracted large crowds. The actors that did this included Richard Burbage, the son of the first theatre owner, Will Kempe, who was famous for his comic acting, and Thomas Pope, who played roles such as Sir Toby Belch, the comic character from Twelfth Night.

The plays were also an attraction to the theatre, with two famous playwrights Shakespeare and Marlowe producing plays that reflected the interests of the time, such as overseas travel reflected in The Tempest (1611), the renaissance in Anthony and Cleopatra (1606), magic and superstition in Dr Faustus (1588), violence and cruelty in Macbeth (1606), national pride and English history in Henry VI (1590-91) and love and romance in Romeo and Juliet (1595). The reason that these plays were so successful and attracted large audiences was that they contained fascinating characters, gripping story lines and great poetry. In essence, the plays of Shakespeare and Marlowe captured the “spirit of the time”.

Overall I think that the most important reason behind the success of the theatre was that not only was it a place where new, exciting plays and performances were held, it held other interests for people of all classes. I think that this is the most important reason because if the only attraction was the plays and the people in them, they would have only attracted only people interested in those particular people or that particular aspects of life and interest.