Elizabethan Theatre

Costumes
1. Elizabethan contempary fashion
  1. not realistic
  2. colour representation
    1. black = dark, evil, mourning
    2. white = purity
    3. yellow = represents lovers
2. young boys cross dressed as women
  1. make up was lead based and highly poisonous
3. costumes were given to the actors by upper class or royalty
  1. or purchased by company
4. women
  1. under
    1. Petticoat, Kirtle, Corset or bodice
  2. over
    1. cloak or ruff
5. men
  1. under
    1. corset, shirt
  2. over
    1. doublet, cloak
6. only in 1660 were women allowed to perform
Set and props
1. **Sets were not important at this time**
2. described the scenery either with title cards or speech
3. curtain closing = scene change
4. props
  1. company owned lots of props cos lack of scenery
    1. chairs, tables and drinking cups symbolized tavern to the audience
      1. *** Tavern = an inn or public house. ****
    2. a light fog in room + blacksmiths workshop
    3. white drapes hanging from ceiling = clouds
  2. drums or cannonball rolling = thunder
  3. dried peas = rain / stormshail
5. heaven and hell represented on stage
  1. heaven painted at the top of playhouse
    1. hell was the trap door
6. performances in daylight only cos no lights
Performance factors and acting style
Company ethos and style
1. ownership of a play was vested to the company not the playwright.
2. Lord Chamberlains Men
  1. shakespeares company
3. Lord Admirals Men
  1. acted like banker
Audience and Actor relationship
1. playwright based plays on stories and experinces of real people
2. Paid a penny for the stalls/standing pit area
  1. two pennies for the upper rows
    1. rich people paid more for the galleries, the luxury seats
3. Food and drink passed out during performance

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Elizabethan Theatre

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	Created by Vanessa P almost 10 years ago