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Essay: The Construction of the Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre, built by James Burbage in 1576, was a octagonal rotunda with an open arena, the so called "pit", which was surrounded by three levels that were roofed galleries. The stage projected into the pit so that the audience could listen and watch the play from the three sides that surrounded the stage. The cheapest place was the pit. It cost one penny to stand there, sometimes also in rain because the yard had no roof. People who wanted to sit on the wooden benches in the first gallery had to pay two pennies; lords and gentlemen had special rooms for which they paid three pennies.
The floor of the stage was made of wood and two pillars (made of tree trumks) supported the roof of the stage, the so called "heavens". It was possible to lower enthroned gods and on the roof of the heavens there was hoist a certain flag for each of the plays. A trumpeter notified that the play started.
Furthermore there was a stage trap, which connected the stage with the so called "hell" under the stage which was hidden with hangings. Actors used the trapdoor to appear or disappear and it was used as well for special effects like smog. Behind the huge stage, 43 or 44 feet across and 27 or more deep, there were curtains on the first floor, which could be opened for special scenes, e.g. balcony scenes in "Romeo and Julia", for musicans or spectators.
The back-stages area, the so called "tiring-house", was used for the actor's store of props, costumes, playbooks and for preparing for the performances. Tables held the players \"gear\"; parts to be learned, false beards, wigs, and makeup.
The whole theatre was conjecturally about 100 feet across and about three times as wide as it was high. It held over 2,000 theater goers. There were no lightening and heating in the theatre. Those spectators who stood in the yard were at the mercy of rain; the galleries and the "hut" of the stage were thatched and the wooden framework could easily catch fire as in 1613 when the theatre burnt down.The Globe was one of the largest theaters of the Elizabethan era. |
