WEEK 4 - THEATRES, ACTORS AND ACTING IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME
QUESTION: Who were the actors of Shakespeare’s plays and how did the experience of being an actor differ from the experience today?
During the period in which shakespeare was alive, known as the elizabethean period there were only two type of playhouses. There were
outdoor playhouses, also known as ‘amphitheatres’
or ‘public’ playhouses, and indoor playhouses, also
known as ‘halls’ or ‘private’ playhouses. As both were so different they attracted different audiences because of it.
All of the outdoor playhouses were built in the exact same way as they all had the following properties:
During the Shakespearean times it was a lot harder to stage things as there were no microphones or props so that would have to be taken into consideration.
In Shakespeare’s time acting was a profession only open to boys and men. Women were acting elsewhere in Europe but they were not allowed to perform in public theatres in England until 1660. In an Elizabethan production boys would play the female parts, like Ophelia in Hamlet or Desdemona in Othello, whilst occasionally men would play the older women.
Acting during the Shakespearean times is different to the way we would act now and not only that but another way it is different is the process. This is because during this time the only actors would be male and this is obviously a huge change from common actors and actresses as women are of couscous allowed to act. In terms of the process it is different because the script each actor would be given would only contain their lines and their cues unlike in modern day and age when each actor is given the full script to help the play flow more seamlessly. Furthermore during those days actors were expected to not only know how to learn lines fast but also be able to sword fight, sing and dance which is not a requirement of actors of our day and age - it is interesting to compare and contrast the differences between now and then however one similarity is that they were just as actors who act in theatres are now underpaid.
All of the outdoor playhouses were built in the exact same way as they all had the following properties:- A central yard that had no roof and was exposed to the sky
- A raised stage sticking out into the yard and very close to the audience members
- A roof over the stage which was commonly referred to as 'the heavens'
- Seating all around the yard, on several levels, which was roofed and also cost more than he standing in the yard did
- A house behind the stage that was used as an almost waiting area for actors and also a changing room
Indoor playhouses however were slightly different as they consisted of a rectangular shaped inside room with the stage along one of the short sides of the room. The audience sat, either immediately in front of the stage where the seats were most expensive, or in galleries which ran around the other three sides of the room. These playhouses were lit by candles or torches back then. Both types of playhouses were heavily decorated and with bright lights and consisted of two doors fro entrances and exits.
During the Shakespearean times it was a lot harder to stage things as there were no microphones or props so that would have to be taken into consideration.
In Shakespeare’s time acting was a profession only open to boys and men. Women were acting elsewhere in Europe but they were not allowed to perform in public theatres in England until 1660. In an Elizabethan production boys would play the female parts, like Ophelia in Hamlet or Desdemona in Othello, whilst occasionally men would play the older women.
Acting during the Shakespearean times is different to the way we would act now and not only that but another way it is different is the process. This is because during this time the only actors would be male and this is obviously a huge change from common actors and actresses as women are of couscous allowed to act. In terms of the process it is different because the script each actor would be given would only contain their lines and their cues unlike in modern day and age when each actor is given the full script to help the play flow more seamlessly. Furthermore during those days actors were expected to not only know how to learn lines fast but also be able to sword fight, sing and dance which is not a requirement of actors of our day and age - it is interesting to compare and contrast the differences between now and then however one similarity is that they were just as actors who act in theatres are now underpaid.
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