Question 4 - What were the theatres or ‘playhouses’ of Shakespeare’s time like and how were plays staged in them?

Theatres and playhouses of Shakespeare's time

Open air theatres were built extensively during Shakespearean times, based on the vast amphitheatres of Ancient Rome and Greece. The indoor playhouses, rather, were enclosed, small indoor halls that offered a more intimate experience and housed a lesser audience of 500.

Playhouses
The playhouses housed the wealthier citizens, the nobility, as seats in these closed venues were more expensive. A more powerful and affluent clientele of people were attracted when the luxury and comfort of playhouses became a possibility, therefore these were spaces where the wealthy would not mix with the poor. These theatres allowed plays to be performed all-year round, as a pose to the open air theatres, which were mostly used in summers and were greatly affected by the temperamental weather.

        indoor playhouse                                                            outdoor playhouse

Outdoor Playhouses
The outdoor theatres were much larger and attracted a completely different audience, ranging from the peasants to the nobility, the ground busy with sales of food and disruption. These theatres had a brick base with timber framed walls, the gaps filled with sticks, hair and plaster. The roofs were thatched or tiled, these hanging over the seated areas to provide some shade and shelter. After the tragic burning down of the Globe theatre, the roof was rebuilt with tiles instead of thatched straw, as straw is extremely flammable. Beside the raised stage and yard, there were also the 'lords rooms', a backstage area and storage rooms.


How were plays performed?

Plays were not just performed in one space, but had to be adapted to travel to playhouses, theatres and inns. Costume and music were of great importance to the audience when the plays were performed, visual and auditory delights. Often, the costumes were handed down from real nobles. Plays were sometimes performed in the round, and the action had to often reach a large audience on many sides.

The stages in Elizabethan times had little or no scenery except for objects needed for the plot, so plays were performed with the primary focus on the actor and his attire. The entrances and exits were in full view of the audience, but actors could enter or exit from above and below through trapdoors and from ladders, referred to as 'Heaven' and 'Hell' in performance!