What was the roof of the globe made of

When raised, the flag was a signal to people from miles around that a play would be staged that afternoon. Adams discusses the impact of the playhouse flags in his book The Globe Theatre and includes the following excerpt from the Curtain-Drawer of the World , written in "Each play-house advanceth his flagge in the aire, whither quickly at the waving thereof are summoned whole troops of men, women, and children" The flag continued to wave until the end of each performance. No one knew exactly when they would see the flag again, for the Elizabethan theatre community lived in uncertain times and were at the mercy of harsh weather, plague, and puritanical government officials.

General Structure of Shakespeare's Theatres Regarding the structure of the Elizabethan playhouses, it is important to note that, unlike our modern auditoriums with cloaked main stages, and seating limited to the front view, the Elizabethan playhouses were open to the public eye at every turn, and scenery could not be changed in between scenes because there was no curtain to drop.

It is no coincidence that in all of Shakespeare's plays, the scene, no matter how dramatic or climatic, ends on a denumount, with the actors walking off or being carried off the stage. If the play required a change of place in the next scene, most times the actors would not leave the stage at all, and it would be up to the audience to imagine the change had occurred. If props were used, they were usually placed at the beginning of the play, and oftentimes would become unnecessary as the performance went on, but would remain on the stage regardless.

Moore Smith mentions in the Warwick edition of Henry V , "properties either difficult to move, like a well, or so small as to be unobtrusive, were habitually left on the stage. For very large objects that were vital in one scene but became an obstacle to the actors on stage in the next scene, it is most likely that the action was halted for their prompt removal.

Due to the lack of props and scenery, the acting troupes relied very heavily on costumes. Even though Elizabethan audiences were deprived of eye-catching background scenes, they were never disappointed with the extravagant, breathtaking clothes that were a certainty at every performance.

Above we saw Henslowe's inventory of costumes that he stored in the Rose, and certainly every theatrical company in Shakespeare's day would have had a large and costly wardrobe. In Robert Greene's A Quip for an Upstart Courtier , written in , a player is dressed in a cloth gown "faced down before with grey coney, and laid thick on the sleeves with lace, which he quaintly bore up to show his white taffeta hose and black silk stockings.

A huge ruff about his neck wrapped in his great head like a wicker cage, a little hat with brims like the wings of a doublet, wherein he wore a jewel of glass, as broad as a chancery seal. The Globe Theatre. Shakespeare Online. References Adams, J. Barnes and Noble: New York, Bentley, Gerald Eades.

Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook. Yale University Press: New Haven, Berry, Herbert, ed. The First Public Playhouse. Queen's University Press: Montreal, Boyce, Charles.

Shakespeare A to Z. Facts on File: New York, Rutter, Carol Chillington. Documents of the Rose Playhouse. Manchester University Press: Manchester, Smith, G. Moore, Litt. The Life of Henry V. Large open playhouses like the Globe are marvelous in the right weather, but indoor theaters can operate year-round, out of the sun, wind, and rain.

They also offer a more intimate setting with the use of artificial light. Admission to the indoor theatres started at 6 pence. One penny was only the price of a loaf of bread. The low cost was one reason the theatre was so popular. Skip to content Helpful tips. March 1, Joe Ford. Table of Contents. Its refrainpuns on the title of the play that had caused the tragedy:. Not only would the theatre have to be rebuilt — in an era before buildings insurance, they would have to foot the cost — it would need to be done in a hurry, because every day without a playhouse depleted their reserves even more.

The company could continue to perform at the Blackfriars, but that theatre only seated a few hundred ticket-buyers; at the open-air Globe, they could cram in as many as 3, By the end of the year, Shakespeare seems to have been based full-time in Stratford and engaged in bitter litigation over his land rights.

His writing career was over. Two years later, in April , he was dead. Andrew Dickson is a broadcaster and author. Sign in.