1. What was the name of the company Shakespeare belonged to ?
The Lord Chamberlain's Men.
2. How many companies were licensed to perform in London ?
Only 2.
3. Why did Shakespeare's company build the Globe ?
In 1599
4. What did Shakespeare's company use to build the Globe ?
Shakespeare's company only built the Globe because they could not use the special playhouse that their chief actor Richard Burbage's father had built for them in 1596, a roofed theatre inside the city, in Blackfriars. James Burbage had a long history as a theatrical entrepreneur. In 1576 he built the first successful amphitheatre, known as The Theatre, in a London suburb. Twenty years later, when the lease on The Theatre's land was about to expire, he built the Blackfriars as its replacement. But the wealthy residents of Blackfriars got the government to block its use for plays, so his capital was locked up uselessly.
5. Who built the Globe ?
The Globe was built by two brothers, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage.
6. When the Globe was built , there were two other theatres in Southwark already. Which ones ?
The Swan and The Rose.
7. When was it built ?
In 1598.
8. How and when was it destroyed ?
In 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII, the thatch of the Globe was accidentally set alight by a cannon, set off to mark the King's entrance onstage in a scene at Cardinal Wolsey's palace. The entire theatre was destroyed within the hour.
9. When was it rebuilt ?
By June 1614 it had been rebuilt, this time with a tiled gallery roof and a circular shape.
10. When was it finally pulled down ? Why ?
It was pulled down in 1644, two years after the Puritans closed all theatres, to make way for tenement dwellings.
11. Explain how acting at the Globe was like.
Acting at the Globe was radically different from viewing modern Shakespeare on screen.
The plays were staged in the afternoons, using the light of day. Therefore, all references to weather or time of the day had to be given to the audience through the text.
The audience surrounded the stage on all sides. No scenery was used, except for occasional emblematic devices like a throne or a bed. It was almost impossible not to see the other half of the audience standing behind the players. Consequently much of the staging was metatheatrical, conceding the illusory nature of the game of playing, and making little pretense to stage realism .
The plays were staged in the afternoons, using the light of day. Therefore, all references to weather or time of the day had to be given to the audience through the text.
The audience surrounded the stage on all sides. No scenery was used, except for occasional emblematic devices like a throne or a bed. It was almost impossible not to see the other half of the audience standing behind the players. Consequently much of the staging was metatheatrical, conceding the illusory nature of the game of playing, and making little pretense to stage realism .
12.Complete this chart :
THEATRE
The Rose and the Fortune
the Theatre and The Globe
COMPANYLORD ALMIRAL'S MEN
LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S MEN
PLAYWRITER
Christopher Marlowe
William Shakespeare
MAIN ACTOR
Edward Alleyn
Richard Burbage
MANAGER
Philip Henslowe
The Burbages
PATRON
Lord Charles Howard
Lord Chamberlain
