DramaBeforeTheatresWhenElizabethIcametothethronein1558there

werenospeciallydesignedtheatrebuildingsinEngland.Companiesofactors
touredthecountryandperformedinawidevarietyoftemporaryactingspaces,
sometimesbuildingstagesandsceneryforaparticularseriesofperformances,and
sometimessimplyusinganunalteredhalloropenspace.Therearerecordsof
actorsperforminginchurches,inthegreathallsofRoyalPalacesandothergreat
houses,inInnYards,inTownHalls,inTownSquaresandanywhereelsethata
largecrowdcouldbegatheredtoviewaperformance.Actingcompanieswere
usuallysmallandmobile.Recordssuggestthatanaveragetouringcompany
consistedoffivetoeightplayers,oftenconsistingoffouradultmenandasingle
boytoplayallthefemaleparts.Althoughwearemostlyconcernedwiththelarger
companiesthatinhabitedthelargetheatrebuildingsthatwerebuiltlaterin
Elizabethsreign,touringcompaniesofthiskind(usingtemporaryactingspaces
throughoutthecountry)continuedtoperformthroughoutElizabethsreign,and
eventhemajorcompaniescouldbeforcedtotourtotheProvinceswhenPlague
shuttheLondontheatresormoneywaslow.SoonafterElizabethcametothe
thronelawsbegantobepassedtocontrolwanderingbeggarsandvagrants.These
madecriminalsofanyactorswhotouredandperformedwithoutthesupportofa
memberofthehighestranksofthenobility.Manyactorsweredrivenoutofthe
professionorcriminalised,whilethosewhocontinuedwereforcedtobecome
officiallyservantstoLordsandLadiesoftherealm.Touringwasincreasingly
discouragedandmanyoftheremainingcompanieswereencouragedtosettledown
withpermanentbasesinLondon.ThefirstpermanenttheatresinEnglandwereold
innswhichhadbeenusedastemporaryactingareaswhenthecompanieshadbeen
touringtheCrossKeys,theBull,theBelSavageandtheBellwerealloriginally
builtasinns.SomeoftheInnsthatbecametheatreshadsubstantialalterations
madetotheirstructuretoallowthemtobeusedasplayhouses.TheRedLionin
Stepney,inparticular,hadaroughauditoriumwithscaffoldinggalleriesbuilt
aroundthestageareaadesignthatmayhaveinfluencedthebuildingoflater
purposebuilttheatressuchastheTheatreandtheGlobe.

TheFirstTheatreThefirstpurposebuiltTheatrebuildinginEngland
originallyandsolelyintendedforperformancewascalledTheTheatre,
eventuallygivingitsnametoallsuchbuildings.Itwasbuiltin1576bytheEarlof
LeicestersPlayerswhowereledbyJamesBurbageacarpenterturnedactor.The
designoftheTheatrewasbasedonthatofbullbaitingandbearbaitingyards

(wherecrowdsofspectatorswatchedanimalstorntopiecesforsport)whichhad
sometimesbeenusedbyactorsasconvenientperformancevenuesinthepast.Not
muchisknownaboutthedesignoftheTheatre,butitappearstohavebeenwooden
andpolygonal(withmanystraightsidesmakinguparoughcircleofwalls)and
mayhavehadthreegalleriesfullofseatingstackedoneaboveanother.Themain
areaofthetheatrewasopentothesky,withalargeyardforspectatorstostandand
watchtheactioniftheycouldnotaffordaseat.In1599Burbagessonsbecame
involvedinadisputeoverthelandonwhichtheTheatrestoodandsolvedtheir
problemsbysecretlyandsuddenlytearingdowntheTheatrebuildingandcarrying
awaythetimberstobuildanewplayhouseontheBankside,whichtheynamedThe
Globe.BythistimetheBurbageshadbecomemembersoftheLordChamberlains
Company,alongwithWilliamShakespeare,andtheGlobeisfamously
rememberedasthetheatreinwhichmanyofShakespearesplayswerefirst
performed.AlthoughtheGlobeisthemostfamousElizabethanTheatre,andthe
buildingwhichwewillconcentrateupon,thereweremanyothertheatresbuilt
duringthisperiodeachonedifferentfromtheothersinthewayinwhichitwas
designedandbuilt.Thetheatresfellintotwomaintypes,however,thepublic
amphitheatrebuildings(suchastheTheatre,theGlobe,theCurtainandtheSwan)
whichwereopentotheair,andthesmallerandmoreexpensiveprivatetheatres
(suchasBlackfriarsandtheCockpit)whichwerebuilttoahalldesigninenclosed
andusuallyrectangularbuildingsmorelikethetheatresweknowtoday.The
privatetheatreshadamoreexclusiveaudiencesincetheychargedconsiderably
morethecheapestseatinaprivatetheatrecostsixpence,whilepublictheatres
liketheGlobechargedtwopenceforaseatinthegalleriesorasinglepennyto
standintheyard.Theadultcompaniesdidnotstarttousetheprivatehalltheatres
untilafterElizabethsdeathwhichtechnicallyputsthembeyondour
considerationofElizabethanTheatrebuttheywereusedbytheboycompanies
(madeupentirelyofchildandteenageactors)inElizabethsreignandwereused
byShakespearesCompanybythistimetheKingsMenandotheradult
companiesintheJacobeanperiod,sowewillconsidertheminpassing.

Conventions=accepted,understoodmethodsofpresentingideasintheater,art,
literature,etc.
Youwillbeexpectedtoidentifyandexplainanyoftheseinboldfacedwordsthat
appearintheplay.Herearesomeofthemoreidentifiableactingandstaging
conventionscommontoElizabethantheatre:
Soliloquy:HamletsTobeornottobeisliteraturesmostfamoussoliloquy.This
popularElizabethanconventionisaliteraryordramatictechniqueinwhichasingle
charactertalksaloudinnerthoughtstohimorherself,butnotwithinearshotofanother
character.Typically,asoliloquyislengthywithadramatictone.
Aside:TheasideexistedinShakespearestimes,buthappilycontinuedintothe
melodramasofthe19thcenturymanyyearslater.Anasideisaconventionthatusually
involvesonecharacteraddressingtheaudienceontheside,offeringthemvaluable
informationinrelationtotheplotorcharactersthatonlytheaudienceisprivyto.The
audiencenowfeelsempowered,knowingmoreabouttheeventsonstagethanmostofthe
charactersdo.

BoysPerformingFemaleRoles:ActinginElizabethsEnglandwasfrowneduponmy
manyinsocietyasaprofessionunsuitableforwomen,asitwasroughandrowdyinstead
ofgentile.Asaresult,womenwerenotlegallypermittedtoactontheEnglishstageuntil
KingCharlesIIwascrownedintheyear1660(eventhoughwomenwerealreadyacting
invariousEuropeancountriesinCommmediadellArteplaysforsomeyears).
Shakespeareandhiscontemporariesthereforehadnochoicebuttocastyoungboysinthe
rolesofwomen,whilethemenplayedallthemalerolesonstage.
Masque:ExistingbeforeElizabethanEnglandandalsooutlivingit,themasquewas
normallyperformedindoorsattheKingorQueenscourt.Spokeninverse,amasque
involvedbeautifulcostumesandanintellectualelementappropriateforthemostly
educatedupperclass.Masqueswereallegoricalstoriesaboutaneventorperson
involvingsinging,actinganddancing.Charactersworeelaboratemaskstohidetheir
faces.

Eavesdropping:Eavesdroppingwasadramatictechniquethatsatneatlybetweena
soliloquyandanaside.Certaincharacterswouldstrategicallyoverhearothersonstage,
informingboththemselvesandtheaudienceofthedetails,whilethecharactersbeing
overheardhadnoideawhatwashappening.Thisconventionopenedupopportunitiesfor
theplaywrightintheevolvingplot.
PresentationalActingStyle:ItisgenerallyagreedbyscholarsElizabethanactingwas
largelypresentationalinstyle.Playsweremoreovertlyaperformancewithcluesthe
actorswereawareofthepresenceofanaudienceinsteadofcompletelyignoringthemas
partoftheirart.Movementsandgesturesweremorestylisedanddramaticthanonemight
ordinarilyexpectinamodernnaturalisticorrealisticdrama,speechpatternswere
heightenedfordramaticeffect,andtheuseofconventionssuchastheaside,prologue,
epilogueandwordpunsdirectlyconnectedcharacterstotheaudiencewatching.The
aside,theprologue,thesoliloquyandtheepiloguewereallvariationsonacharacters
directaddresstotheaudiencewhenstaged.
SpecificStyleofDialogue:Elizabethanplayscommonlyconsistedofdialoguethatwas
poetic,dramaticandheightenedbeyondthatofthevernacularoftheday.Whileoftenthe
lowerclasscharactersspeechwassomewhatcolloquial(prose),upperclasscharacters
spokestylised,rhythmicspeechpatterns(verse).Shakespearetookgreatcarein
composingdialoguethatwassometimesblank(unrhymed),butatothertimesrhyming
(couplets)andoftenusingfivestressedsyllablesinalineofdialogue(iambic
pentameter).
PlayWithinAPlay:ThisElizabethanconventionwasaplaywritingtechniqueusedby
Shakespeareandothersthatinvolvedthestagingofaplayinsidetheplayitself.Itwas
notaflimsyconvention,butratheronethatwasusedjudiciouslyandwithpurpose.One
ofthemostfamousexamplesofthisconventionoccursinHamlet,whenthetitle
characterisconvincedhisuncleClaudiusmurderedhisfatherforthethrone.SoHamlet
organisesanoutoftowntroupeofperformerstoattendoneeveningandperformaplay
beforeKingClaudiusthatinvolvesthesameplotlineastheeventsinthelargerplay
(murderofaKing),butinadifferentsettingalltoletClaudiusknowHamletisonto
him!

Stagecraft:Intermsofstagecraft,Elizabethandramasusedelaboratecostumes,yetquite
theoppositeforscenery.Actingspaceswerelargelyempty(barestage)withisolatedset
piecesrepresentingmanyofthesameandminimaluseofprops(asingletreeequalleda
forest,athroneforaKingspalace).Thisexplainstheuseofrichdialoguefullof

imagery,astherewasnosetonstagetodesignatethesceneslocation.However,
Elizabethancostumeswereoftenrichandcolorful,withacharactersstatusinsociety
beingdenotedbytheircostume,alone.Therewerenostagelightsofanykind,withplays
strictlyperformedduringdaylighthours.Asimplebalconyattherearofthestagecould
beusedforscenesinvolvingfantasticalbeings,GodsorHeaven,whileatrapdoorinthe
stagefloorcouldalsobeusedtodropcharactersintoHellorraisecharactersupfrom
beneath.Entrancesandexitswereattwodoorsattherear(tiringhouse)andnottheside
wings,asisthecaseinmoderntheatre.AnElizabethanactorexitingsidestagemaywell
havelandedinthegroundingsafterfallingofftheedgeofthe(threesided)thruststage
thatjuttedoutintotheaudience!
Seemoreat:http://www.thedramateacher.com/elizabethantheatre
conventions/#sthash.CgiEd5dH.dpuf