Shakespeare

The Elizabethan and Jacobean period

In 1576 James Burbage, father of  actor, Richard Burbage, purchased a lease and permission to build The Theatre in London. The Lord Chamberlains men, a theatre company led by Richard. Performed Shakespeare plays and were the company in residence from 1594 to 1596.

Writers began by presenting their ideas for a plot. The actors and managers then decided whether they liked it or not and  offer a down payment for it's completion.
Writers created their characters with certain actors in mind. Each player or actor received their own role. A long sheet of parchment with lines written on. This meant that they would not see who else was going to be on stage until they actually rehearsed the scene.
Rehearsals were used to sort out the details not specified in the script. Entrances costumes and songs were all filled in by the actors

1593 London theatres had to close due to outbreak of bubonic plague.
1596-1597 the city of London authorities banned public performances of plays within the city limits
1597. Dispute over the lease of the theatre. The Puritan owner. Giles Allen. Disapproved of the theatre and the acting troupe. Burbage opened negotiations to renew lease of the theatre
Shakespeare's company of actors moved to the Curtain Theatre after failed negotiations to re new lease for the theatre.
1598. Timber from The Theatre taken to use for the building of a new venue. Called the Globe Theatre
1599. The globe theatre is opened on bankside. Southwark. London.
1603. Bubonic plague re-emerged  and killed over 33000 people.
1608 the theatre closed.
1613 June 29. Fire at the globe theatre during a performance of Henry VIII.
1614. Globe theatre is rebuilt on it's original foundations. This time the roof of the globe is tiled. Not thatched.

Two years before Shakespeare's death.

Not all theatres were outside. Until 1609 the indoor theatres were used by boy companies. These grew out of choir schools that performed privately. They usually played just once a week rather than almost every day. As the adult companies. The audience was thought to be more educated and richer than an outdoor one. Indoor plays had more music more sparkly pros sucks as pearls and more speeches than action. Indoor theatres grew into existing theatres. They were open to a public and charged an entry fee. First permanent indoor theatre St. Paul's opened in 1575 which held 500 people and was lit by candles but also tickets were more expensive.

Queen Elizabeth died in 1603. King James took throne. Jacobean era ran until 1625.
Jacobean theatre was dark and disturbing. Grotesquely violent and often shockingly obscene. Sexuality was very prevalent in Jacobean performances. Along with a heightened sense of violence and general immoralities. As the economy declined. So did the delicacy of the theatre performances moved from outdoor to indoor because of the changeable weather.

Jacobean drama.

Revenge plays
Obscene and violent

Tragicomedies were more grotesque with dark humour and very sexual in nature.
1642. The English civil war role out between the parliamentarians puritans and the royalists. Parliaments suppress plays that didn't for their religion. And the globe was pulled down. Houses were built in place
1648 the puritans orders all playhouses to be pulled down. All actors were arrested and anyone caught attending was fiend. It took 12 years before theatres re opened
1649. The civil war finally leads to the terrible execution of King Charles 1 by parliament
1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes lord protector of England

Theatre stops it will take 7 years before the restoration begins.