Theatres1

===WHAT WAS A THEATRE LIKE IN SHAKESPEARE’S ENGLAND? WHAT WERE INN-YARDS, COURTYARD THEATRES OR AMPITHEATRES, AND PLAYHOUSES? WHAT WERE THE ROSE, THE SWAN, THE THEATRE, AND OTHER IMPORTANT THEATRES IN ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN ENGLAND? WHAT WAS BLACKFRIAR’S THEATRE AND WHY WAS THIS AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN THEATRE IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME? HOW, IF AT ALL, WERE THESE THEATRES CONNECTED TO SHAKESPEARE? Answer Prepared By: Kendall R. ===  Theaters in Shakespeare's England were very different from theaters now. Theaters of the time were open-air and had no air conditioning or heating so in the summer, people would sweat and in the winter they would freeze according to Liza Picard, author of //Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London // . At the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, most performances took place in courtyards at large inns, otherwise know as inn-yards. Early theaters resembled the the inn-yards they had evolved from. They were built around courtyards with three story galleries on three sides that faced a stage. Linda Alchin from the webpage //The Globe Theater // stated that wealthy people sat in these galleries while the less privileged stood on the ground; general admission cost only a penny. The first amphitheatre was built in 1576; The style of an amphitheatre was similar to that of a Roman arena and they could hold between 1,500 and 3,000 people. Performances were also held in playhouses, small, private, indoor halls that were open to anyone but were more expensive. They could hold up to 500 people.

London's first public theatre, built in 1576 by James Burbage,  was called the Theatre. Due to trouble with the landlord, the Theater was torn down and later rebuilt under the name of the Globe. The Curtain was the second London playhouse, built in 1577, next to the Theatre. It was the same structure as the Theatre only smaller. Between 1597 and 1598, the Curtain was the home of the Chamberlain's Men until they moved to the Globe in 1599. The Rose was another theatre, built by Philip Henslowe, that was round and composed of brick and timber, and easily accessible, making it more sophisticated than the Theatre. Many different acting companies performed on the Rose's stage and it became very popular. Plagued, the Rose was forced to close during 1593, but when it reopened it was again very successful. The Rose was torn down in 1606 when the owner could not renew the rent. The Swan was built very close to the Rose in 1594. I t was at the Swan, built by Francis Langley,  that the acting company Pembroke's Men performed the play, //The Isle of Dogs // , which was responsible for the government's closure of all playhouses in the summer of 1597. The Swan was not very popular and slowly faded away. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Blackfriars Theatre was built by Richard Burbage in 1596 on the northern bank of the Thames. Unlike the public theatres, private theatres such as the Blackfriars had roofs and specifically catered to the wealthy and highly educated classes of London society. It soon became the most popular theatre in London. The admission price of the Blackfriars was five times that of the Globe and seated 700 people. Shakespeare was connected to all of these theaters because he performed at all of them during his career with the Chamberlain's Men. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> The style of theaters during the Elizabethan era was so different from theaters today. Theaters then were outdoor, had no lighting so shows had to be performed during the day, and separated the wealthy and poor but theater has remained throughout time as a popular pastime.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">Here is a picture of the Globe Theater

This is a picture of the Rose Theater

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">This is a picture of Blackfriars Theater. Notice how this theater has a roof.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Alchin, Linda. "The Globe Theatre ." // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Elizabethan Amphitheatre // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. N.p., 5/16/2005. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://www.globe-theatre.org.uk/elizabethan-amphitheatre.htm>.
 * Works Cited**

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Alchin, Linda. "William Shakespeare." // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Elizabethan Theater, Playhouses & Inn-Yards // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. N.p., 2/1/2007. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-biography-elizabethan-theatre-playhouse-inn-yards.htm>.

Chrisp, Peter. // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Eyewitness Books: Shakespeare // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2002. 24-25, 40-45. Print <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">.

Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare." N.p., 1/21/2010. Web. 4 Apr 2010. <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/theatre/>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Picard, Liza. // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003. 221-224. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Roberts, Russell. // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How'd They Do That In Elizabethan England // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. Great Britain: Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc., 2010. 45. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Singman, Jeffery L.. // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Daily Life in Elizabethan England // <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">. Westport,CT: Greenwood Press, 1995. 150-153, 170. Print