Elizabethan Theatre essays

Elizabethan Theatre essays The first Theatre to be built in London was The Great Theatre built in 1576 by James Burbage, in Shoreditch, north of the city walls in London (north of London Wall which bounded the city proper); on the edge of Finsbury Fields, just past Bishopsgate Street. The building was a vast, polygonal, three-story timber structure, open to the sun and rain. Its exterior was coated with lime and plaster. It had features similar to those of the future Globe playhouse and other playhouses of the day, such as galleries, upper rooms, a tiring house, and trap doors in the stage floor. Like the Globe, the Theatre had two external staircases, standing on either side of the building, and leading up to the galleries. Those people watching from the main "yard", were surrounded by the comfortable covered galleries, and were forced to stand during the entire performance. It was dismantled in 1599 when its lease expired, and the timbers were then used for the building of The Globe. The Globe was built i n 1599, but the thatch roof caught fire in 1613 due to a canon being fired during a production of "Henry VIII" and the theatre was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1614 and finally demolished in 1644. Shakespeare acted and staged many of his plays at the Globe. The Swan Theatre was built some time about 1595 by Francis Langley in Bankside, London. The Rose was the first theatre Built in 1587 by Philip Henslowe, (a local businessman). It was only the fifth purpose-built theatre in London, and was the first on Bankside - an area already rich in attractions of a somewhat dubious nature, including brothels, gaming dens, and bull- and bear-baiting arenas. The Fortune Theatre was built in 1600 by Phillip Henslowe as competition for the Globe Theatre. The Fortune Theatre resembled the Globe except that it was square and its timbers remained unpainted. Many of the plays were staged in Inns, as this is where the majority of people could be found in larg...