Elizabethan Theater: A Flourishing Era of Drama and Performance
Elizabethan Popular Theatre
A new popular theatre emerged, accessible to all. This was crucial for Elizabethan drama due to:
- Two Kinds of Performances: Catering to both nobility and commoners.
- Private Performances: Held in universities, courts, and noble halls. Students performed and engaged in role-playing.
- Public Performances: Took place in inn yards and playhouses, making theatre accessible to everyone.
The Playhouses
Dedicated spaces built specifically for dramatic performances arose as theatre gained immense popularity. People even sold locations and buildings to capitalize on this trend. The audience actively engaged with the authors and actors, making it a truly interactive experience. Hence, these venues were called “playhouses.” Theatre became a social event, with the audience as active participants.
Between 1576 and 1600, seven playhouses were built in the Liberties, south of the River Thames in London. This area, separated from the city by the river, offered greater freedom and fewer restrictions.
The Globe
Shakespeare’s mature plays were performed at the Globe, built in 1599 and destroyed by fire in 1613. It was hexagonal on the outside and circular on the inside.
Structure and Division of the Elizabethan Playhouse
Playhouses, especially in London, comprised two main parts: the stage and the auditorium.
Stage
- Outer Stage: A large platform with three doors, a canopy, and a basement (hell) used for dramatic entrances and exits, including ghostly apparitions and burials.
- Inner Stage (Backstage/Tiring House): Located offstage, it served as the actors’ resting and changing rooms.
- Upper Stage (Heavens): Featured a hut for storing props and a turret with a flag to announce performances.
Auditorium
- The Pit: Where the groundlings stood.
- Three Galleries: Provided elevated seating for the audience.
Elizabethan Performances
Performances typically began at 2:00 or 3:00 PM, utilizing daylight hours. Winter performances were limited due to weather conditions.
Sets were minimal, emphasizing the power of language and acting. Costumes, however, were often elaborate, possibly provided by wealthy patrons.
Plays began with a prologue or chorus and concluded with an epilogue and a jig (a comic song-and-dance routine).
New Theatrical Conventions
- No Women Onstage: Due to Puritan influence, women were prohibited from acting.
- Play-Within-the-Play: A form of metatheatre, where a play is performed within another play.
- Dumb Show: Often depicted deceased characters returning as ghosts.
Elizabethan Drama: Outstanding Features
- Innovation and Experimentation: A hallmark of the era.
- Competition and Commercial Dimension: Theatre became a thriving business.
- Popularity and Artistic Quality: High demand for new plays led to both quantity and quality.
- Collaboration: Essential for success, even among renowned playwrights.
- Strong Puritan Opposition: Puritans viewed theatres as immoral and fought against them, sometimes successfully halting productions.