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Elizabethan Theatre

The Structure and Arrangement of the Elizabethan Theater

The emergence of the Elizabethan theater changed how plays were produced and the general nature of how pays were produced. The Elizabethan theater began with groups of adult companies acting in a variety of places, which included houses, the halls of an Inn or Court, or inn-yards. James Burbage built one of the first permanent theater structures aptly called The Theater in 1576. Interestingly, this playhouse was located just outside of London “beyond the jurisdiction of the city authorities who were generally hostile to dramatic spectacles” (Abrams 431). Not long after this, other public theaters were built. These playhouses were generally shaped like an oval, with the center yard unroofed. (Abrams 431) This includes the famous Globe Theater, which was also located outside London. The Elizabethan stage was different from previous stages because it “utilized an open platform stage inherited from medieval theater” (Wilson 279). Wilson notes that the theater buildings had a character “all their own” (Wilson 279). Another significant difference between Elizabethan theaters and earlier theaters was the fact that Elizabethan theaters did not have painted scenery. Because of the nature of how plays were performed, the platform stage had to be a rather neutral playing area “which could become many different places in quick succession” (279). Because a play’s action moved swiftly, this type of stage was not only convenient but also essential to provide a sense of continuous action as the play progressed.
Elizabethan playhouses were public and private. Public theaters were used primarily by professional adult acting companies until around 1610. The Globe is by far the most famous of these playhouses. It is estimated that this type of playhouse seated anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 audience members. Playhouses from this era were circular and octagonal. Sylvan Barnet notes that the Chorus of Shakespeare’s play, Henry...