Language of Theatre

Analyse contemporary Shakespeare productions with reference to live performances you may have seen or  clips or footage available online. You should comment on what you notice about them and how they differ from what you know about the original performance conditions of Shakespeare’s work? (Don’t be afraid to point out the obvious). One of the best Shakespeare shows I have seen is A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Globe. It was amazing, they had modernized using costume, lighting and sound. Obviously in Shakespearears time there wasn't the technology that we have today, so I can imagine when Shakespeare put on this production it would have looked very different. But personally I thought the different music and dramatic lighting made the piece come to life. Back then they used natural lighting and maybe a few people playing instruments, so now everything has been upgraded. In Shakespeares time woman could not act at all on stage, well that is not the case today. I h...

What were the theatres or ‘playhouses’ of Shakespeare’s time like and how were plays staged in them?  Who were the actors of Shakespeare’s plays and how did the experience of being an actor differ from the experience today? The Theatre back then was no where near like it was today, it was loud, dirty and full of drunk people. Theatre was not respected like it is now, to see a show was a good night out to laugh at the actors and throw food at them. You couldn't even really hear what was going on onstage.  The playhouses had galleried seating all around the yard made of several layers. Some had open roof, at the back behind the stage was a tiring house, where actors got changed. props were kept and stage effects would be managed.  Being an actor was very hard, you could have several shows to do at once. The pay was alright, and was shared between the whole company. Only boys/men could be actors. If you wanted to pursue this career you would join a company at a very...

  Elizabethan   England  and the Theatre. The theatre was what made London so famous, everyone attended. Rich or poor, everyone went. Mainly men attended but there were some woman who did go. Even the Royalty loved it, the Venetian Ambassador once bought all of the most expensive tickets. Not every actually went to the Theatre itself, but instead summand the actors to their Courts. If you were poor you stood in the Yard. These people had many names, one being 'groundlings'. In the Yard there were no toilets, and you had to stand on sand and ash. You could buy apples, oranges, nuts and ale. If they didn't like the actors they would throw the food at them. To stand here it cost 1 penny. The next level was to sit on a bench, this cost 2 pennies. To add a cushion was another penny. The most expensive seats, were called the Lord's Rooms, to sit here cost 6 pennies.  The Theatre was never quiet, the audience were more louder than the performers. Many thieves...

  Shakespeare Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford upon Avon, in a market near a farming area. He was very lucky and was born into a wealthy family. His mother was the daughter of a local farmer, and to own your own farm was one of the best jobs you could have at this time. His father was a glove maker and a wool trader. This brought it lots of money for the family of 10, that then sadly turned to 8. Shakespeare's two older sisters died at a very young age from the plague.  Shakespeare was fortunate enough to attend an all boy Grammar School. At this school he was taught to read, speak and write in Latin. He also had to memorize events of history, and then turn this into performance. Shakespeare started off as an actor, so maybe here is when he found his passion for theatre. He left school at the age of 15. At 18 years old Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a farmers daughter. Normally men got married in their early twentie s, however Anne was expecting a child...

What sense do you get of what life was like in Elizabethan England? Try to include information on: The population, entertainment, religion, superstition, money, jobs, medicine, theatre. In the Elizabethan era entertainment was the center of all the towns, it brought everyone together from all different classes. Music, it was everywhere. More people learnt how to play instruments, they were used in Churches, theatre, parties and even when the laborers were working in the field. The theatre was the most popular of entertainment. The Globe theatre is the most famous of the time as it was Shakespeare's theatre.  The theatre was open air, so mainly productions were in May to avoid the rain. There were 3 levels. The higher up you were the more expensive. There are two reasons for this, one being the higher you were the more shelter there was from the rain. The other reason was that you were further away from the peasants in the Yard, also known as the "penny stinkers". Down ...