The
Globe Theatre was part owned by Shakespeare,
and many of his plays were performed on
the stage of the circular, three storey,
wood built, play house. Standing five feet
off the ground, the central stage was forty
four feet wide and twenty six feet long.
Opened in 1599, near the River Thames, the
three thousand capacity theatre earned money
from ticket sales to performances by Shakespeare's
acting company, 'The Lord Chamberlain’s
Men', and by hiring out the play house to
others. Requiring natural light, most performances
were held in the early afternoon and there
were few of the special effects familiar
to modern audiences. Dismantled by England's
puritanical government in 1644, Shakespeare’s
Globe Theatre was rebuilt in 1996 and today
actors again perform plays on its stage.
Before the development
of Elizabethan Theatres, travelling actors
performed on make shift stages in public
houses and market squares and were often
regarded by authorities as little more than
vagrants. Those, such as Shakespeare and
his troupe of actors, who received the support
of wealthy and aristocratic patrons, could
achieve a measure of success and security.
The range and depth of the characters and
plots in the works of Shakespeare would
have resonated with audiences when they
were first performed and continue to be
discussed, interpreted and performed by
dramatists and actors to this day. The issues
explored such as political power, relationships
and the human condition are still relevant
to audiences across the world and acting
ensembles, such as The Royal Shakespeare
Company, have introduced successive generations
of theatre goers to Shakespeare, through
both traditional and contemporary productions. |