HISTORICAL CONTEXT- What were the theatres or 'playhouses' of Shakespeare's time like and how were plays staged in them? & Who were the actors of Shakespeare's plays and how did the experience of being an actor differ from the experience today?

Theatre and Playhouses
The plays performed in Shakespeare's time had to be adaptable to many different spaces; they toured from venues varying from palaces to inns, outdoors and indoors, with each space presenting different challenges for the productions. This meant staging was simplistic and the dialogue was what really painted the picture for the audience- that and the varying settings whether it was richly furnished or dark and dank, the venue of these plays had a huge impact on the experience.

In 1576  one of the first playhouses was built just outside London by the Burbage family; the first since Roman times. It's design and that of playhouses to come was as follows; a multi-sided building with several tiers of sheltered seating, a open air yard and a stage. Shakespeare's theatre company the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed here in 1594. However the Burbage family lost their lease of the site so set out to build a bigger and better playhouse- the Globe. To pay for it they took on 5 sharers, one of whom was Shakespeare.

There were 2 Globes- the first built in 1599, was where most of Shakespeare's productions were first put on, but after a fire in 1613 they had to quickly build a new Globe that was finished in 1614.

So what was the difference between playhouses and theatres? Playhouses such as the Globe are still open today attracting large crowds and accommodating some wonderful productions. However due to their open air nature, they are best in good weather whereas indoor theatres can work with any conditions, making them sometimes more practical. Shakespeare's company always wanted an indoor theatre and so in 1609 took over London Blackfriars theatre. Moreover city officials believed that playhouses were rowdy and common so a lot of playhouses were built outside the city limits. There was a definite divide in class with the playhouses being for the lower class and the theatres being for upper as they afforded their visitors with luxuries like candlelit performances and shelter which came at a higher price.

Actors
One of the first things of note about Shakespeare's actors is that they complied with one of the social standards of the time- they were all men. Boys would play female characters and men would play either characters of their own sex or older female characters. You could join a theatre company as a young boy and train under the guidance of the more experienced actors as their apprentice. These men had to be tremendously talented to perform- if there was a duel on stage, they had to know how to fight, if there was a song or piece of music to be performed, they would have to do so note perfect and any dancing would be performed faultlessly, which of course also required them to be in peak physical condition. They would perform in lavish costumes, often second hand gowns taken from real nobles.

An actor would earn less than the sharers in the company and their wage would also depend on where they were performing. If you were performing in London you may earn 10 shillings a week, but in the country you would only earn 5. This meant actors worked on several plays at once, playing many different roles. This meant rehearsal time was small, with perhaps a rehearsal in the morning and a performance in the afternoon, the prime time for performances due to the lighting needed in the open air playhouses.

There were many notable actors including Richard Burbage, Nathan Field and William Kemp who our much beloved Dogberry from our play 'Much Ado About Nothing' was written for due to his speciality in physical humour.

What I have learnt from this is that the life of the actor has always been quite similar. Unless you are high up in the world of acting, you will be working several jobs at once, dedicating all available time to your craft. The theatres are still here today, the Globe still being one of the most revered spaces to perform in for an actor. Our spaces have not changed and our acting routine hasn't.

Contrastingly women are now coming to the forefront of the artistic world, with one of our shows being an all female production of 'Titus Andronicus' which you would have certainly not have seen back in the 16th and 17th century. Our flexibility with how we set, stage and dress our plays has moved with the times, but we must take into consideration that the representation in Shakespeare's time was modern to them. I believe that the social and political changes in the 400 centuries since Shakespeare worked, has changed the style of performance, but not the principals of being a performer; many of those values still remain.