Elizabethan Public Theatre: Designated for the Performance

CHORUS Can this cockpit hold 

The vasty fields of France? or may we cram 

Within this wooden O the very casques 

That did affright the air at Agincourt?

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

English poet and playwright.

Probably referring to the Globe.

Henry V, Prologue

Introduction to Theatre Halls:

Elizabethan Theatre (1558-1603) is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, in which actors perform live for an audience on a stage or in another space designated for the performance.  In many ways the stage of the innyard helped to define the structure of the Elizabethan public theatre. Though various scholars have given different details about the structure, with the help of certain contemporary records, we can arrive at the main features. Apart from the picture of the Swan Theatre (1595) drawn by the Dutch traveler Johannes de Witt, another picture was found in the title page of the play Roxana (1630) by William Alabaster. The contemporary documents like the building contracts kept by Philip Henslowe (the first Englishman who made a fortune in theatre business) and the stage direction in the plays give a clear picture of a public theatre. In a nutshell , during the Elizabethan era in England (1558-1603), public theatre halls emerged as popular venues for theatrical performances. These theatre halls, also known as playhouses or play-places, were specifically designed to accommodate large audiences and stage a variety of plays. They played a crucial role in shaping the development of English drama and the flourishing of galaxy of playwrights. In fact, in the late 16th century, Italian ideas of imitating classical drama spread to England. The University Wits, including Marlowe and Kyd, paved the way for Shakespeare. Later half of Queen Elizabeth's reign witnessed a flourishing of drama, with Shakespeare's rivals like Jonson, Beaumont, and Fletcher gaining prominence.

Natural Settings:

Fundamental to the theater experience is the act of seeing and being seen; in fact, the word theater comes from the Greek word theatron, meaning 'seeing place.' Throughout the history of world cultures, actors have used a variety of locations for theater, including amphitheaters, churches, marketplaces, garages, street corners, warehouses, and formal buildings. It is not the building that makes theater but rather the use of space for actors to imitate human experience before audiences. 

obviously, one distinctive feature of Elizabethan public theatres was their utilization of natural settings. Unlike modern enclosed theatres, these open-air playhouses made use of the natural environment to create a unique theatrical experience. The stage was typically located at one end of the theatre, and the surrounding area served as the backdrop for the performances.

The most famous example of an Elizabethan public theatre is the Globe Theatre in London, which opened in 1599. It was a circular, open-air amphitheater with a thatched roof over the stage and galleries for seating. The Globe Theatre, like other playhouses of the time, incorporated elements of the surrounding environment into the performance. For instance, actors could incorporate trees, hills, and rivers into their plays, enhancing the illusion of different locations. Mark Rylance, English actor and theater director, referring to the opening of the reconstructed Globe Theatre, where many of William Shakespeare's plays were originally performed makes this relevant comment, "The Globe Theatre, the space that Shakespeare wanted us to meet him in." And this true for other playwrights as well as theatre halls. We can not understand any drama without getting into the performances.

Defining the Stage Sphere 

The stage usually has it own geometrical shape to suit the performances. The outside shape was octagonal and the inside was either octagonal or circular. In Henry V Shakespeare describe his theatre as ‘This wooden O’. It was, borrowed from the shape of the bare-baiting ring. This round shape was more convenient for seating arrangement than the quadrangular inn yard. The inside of the theatre was divided in to two parts’- the stage and the auditorium. The stage was a large platform on trestles and oblong in shape. It jutted almost into the middle of the circular yard.

The rest of the yard which formed the auditorium was called the ‘pit’. As it has no seats, the spectators (groundlings) stood and surrounded the platform three sides. The pit was surrounded by three tiers of galleries. The uppermost gallery had a thatched roof. Unlike the pit, the galleries were provided with benches. The pit was open to the sky, but the stage was covered by a canopy which rested on two posts rising vertically from the floor of the stage. There was no front curtain to separate the stage from the audience. At the back, there were two or three doors. The side ones were used for the entry or exit of actors and they led to the retiring room or the dressing room. The large middle door was curtained off and, behind the curtain of arras of traverse, there was an inner stage.

Performances

Elizabethan public theatres offered a wide range of performances to cater to diverse audiences. The most popular form of entertainment was, of course, the plays of the period. Theatrical companies, such as the Lord Chamberlain's Men (Shakespeare's company), performed a variety of genres, including comedies, tragedies, histories, and even the occasional masques.

These performances attracted audiences from all social classes. The lower classes, known as groundlings, would stand in the open yard in front of the stage, while wealthier patrons would sit in the galleries surrounding the stage. The plays themselves were often lively and engaging, featuring intricate plots, poetic language, and a mix of dramatic and comedic elements.

It is worth noting that Elizabethan theatre was not limited to the stage. Street performances, known as "mumming," were also popular during this period. These impromptu performances involved actors wearing masks and costumes, performing short skits, dances, and music in the streets and public squares.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is not unfair to say that the theatre was the lifeline of Elizabethan entertainment. So, public theatres were specifically designed for theatrical performances during the 16th century in England with the perspective of actors as well as spectators. They embraced natural settings, utilizing the surrounding environment to enhance the theatrical experience. These open-air playhouses provided a platform for a diverse range of performances, including plays of various genres, and played a vital role in shaping the vibrant theatrical culture of the Elizabethan era.

 

Ardhendu De

Ref: 

1. ALBERT. (2000). History of English Literature (Fifth Edition) [English]. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

2. English Literature by William J. Long. (n.d.). Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10609

3. Carlson, Marvin. "Drama and Dramatic Arts." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

4. The complete works of William Shakespeare, with a full and comprehensive life; a history of the early drama; an introduction to each play; the readings of former editions; glossarial and other notes, etc., etc., from the work of Collier, Knight, Dyce, Douce, Halliwell, Hunter, Richardson, Verplanck, and Hudson. Edited by George Long Duyckinck : Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/completeworksofw00shakuoft