THE GLOBE THEATRE

SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE THEATRE

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts...”

THE GLOBE THEATRE

The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre, built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, was open to audiences in the summer, usually from May on, and the performances took place by daylight: because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe took place, weather permitting, during the day, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

• Days out at the Globe Theatre were an exciting event: outside the Globe Theatre there were lots of people and stalls selling merchandise and refreshments (fruit, beer etc.);

• The theatre’s wooden structure, also called the“ wooden O”, was octagonal in shape and had a central open space in the roof, to let daylight in.

• Rich nobles could watch the play from a chair set on the side of the stage itself. Besides nobles, Shakespeare’s audience was composed of butchers, iron-workers, servants, wig-makers, bakers, and other tradesmen and their families.

• Audience Capacity: the Globe theatre could hold 1500 people in the audience and this number expanded to 3000 with the people who crowded outside the theatres;

• Royalty: Queen Elizabeth I loved watching plays, but these were generally performed in indoor playhouses for her pleasure. She would not have attended the plays performed at theatres such as the Globe;

• The Nobles: upper-class nobles asked for the better seats in the Lord’s rooms, paying 5 pence for the privilege.

• The Commoners: the lower classes were called the Groundlings or Stinkards, they stood in the theatre pit and paid 1 penny entrance fee: they put 1 penny in a box at the theatre entrance, hence the modern term ‘Box Office’.