Producing a Play in the Globe Theatre

Producing a play at the Globe Theater

The Globe Theater was built just outside of London in 1599, during the end of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. The whole idea of plays and theaters was so new and exciting to the Europeans. This theater is so widely known because the famous English playwright, William Shakespeare, wrote plays that were performed here. He wrote his plays to suit the Globe stage and to please his audience. Producing a play at the Globe Theater was a difficult task. Even in the sixteen hundreds, they had to worry about their audience, advertising, actors, and costumes.

To produce a play you have to have an audience to present to. In the sixteenth century, going to a play was a big deal. It attracted everyone, rich or poor. The audience expected a different play every week, if not sooner. People came by foot and by boat. At the door, gatherers collected the money. The seating was on a first come, first serve basis for the commoners or groundlings as they were called. The rich and important people sat in the best sections, closest to the stage. The nobles and foreign ambassadors sat upstairs in the gallery. The women who came from a higher class always came with a man, so that people knew they were to be respected. The plays took place in the afternoon since there was no electricity. There was no intermission, but bread, ale, and fruit were served during the play. When producing a play, the audience must always come first. (Morley).

A theater cannot succeed if it does not have an audience. This is why advertising is so important in this business. These days we have television commercials, computer ads, and even ads flying behind airplanes. During Shakespeare’s time, advertising for plays was not allowed. Therefore, they would raise a flag on the top of the theater before the play to let people know what type of play they should expect. The flags were different colors to represent different kinds of plays. If a black flag was flying, then you would know to expect a tragedy. A white flag meant a comedy and a red flag represented history. The Globe theater depended on this method to attract an audience large enough to make an income. (The Old).

Once you have accumulated an audience, you have to make sure they want to come back. Each week the Globe Theater would present a different play. This kept an actor at the Globe Theater very busy. An actor usually began at the age of ten. There were only male actors because acting was considered an unsuitable job for women. In the beginning a leading player would teach a boy how to become an actor. Soon, the player hired the boy into the company. If he was not acting, he was sent out on errands. Young actors began with child roles and gradually began playing women roles. An actor would generally receive his part on the day of the play and was given his lines during the play. This was called “cue acting”. A person