Theatre in England

The theatres and the actors performing in them did not have a good reputation in Elizabethan England. Especially actors belonged to the lower social groups. Elizabeth had forbidden the opening of theatres within the city. So theatres were built outside the city, that is, on the other side of the river Thames. The first public theatre, also called a playhouse, opened in 1567. However, this does not mean that before this time there weren’t any performances of plays. Before 1567, plays would be performed in pubs and inns, on the street, at festivals or in the houses of noblemen.

The plays would be performed by companies of travelling actors (also called players). These were groups of actors that travelled through the county and were often under the patronage of the monarch or nobleman. Having a patron was the only way for professional actors to practice their profession. These companies are often called after their patron and in reality they were nothing more than servants to their patron.

Elizabethan England was a place of strict government control. Elizabeth’s secret service was very powerful. Books and plays had to be registered at the Stationer’s Office and were checked on whether they contained any controversial subjects. There were also many Puritan preachers that were opposed to the theatre. They and others believed the theatres to be places that attract pickpockets and prostitutes, filled with noise and breading grounds for infections (such as the plague). Above all, they saw it as a place that encouraged forbidden sexual desires (homosexuality). Before 1662 only men were allowed to act, woman were forbidden to be on the stage. This meant that the female roles in plays were played by boy actors, who were dressed as women. Of course, this practice gave rise to the Puritan accusations.

Despite the Puritan objections and other complaints about the playhouses, the theatre became incredibly popular at the end of the 16th century. In 1599 Shakespeare’s theatre company (The Lord Chamberlain’s Men) built their own playhouse, the Globe. It was the most famous playhouse of that time and many of Shakespeare’s plays were staged there. The Globe was oval-shaped, with an open roof and could seat up to 3000 people.

More about the Globe theatre:

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/globe/globe.htm

http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/navigation/frameset.htm

http://www.wfu.edu/~tedforrl/shakespeare/globe.htm

Stage Beauty (2004, US)

Starring: Claire Danes, Billy Crudup. Director: Richard Eyre. A newly released film about the law that was issued in 1662 by Charles II that allowed women to play female roles in the theatre.