This paper examines the physical structure, staging conventions, and dramatic practices of the Elizabethan theater. Beginning with the construction of the first permanent playhouse in 1576, the paper describes the layout of public and private theaters, the dimensions and features of the Elizabethan stage, and the relationship between actors and audience. It also considers how sparse scenery, trapdoors, the tiring house, and the upper playing area shaped dramatic performance. The paper concludes by analyzing the role of the Chorus and epilogue in selected Shakespeare plays — particularly King Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream — to illustrate how the theater's intimate design encouraged audience imagination and engagement.
The emergence of the Elizabethan theater changed how plays were produced and transformed the general nature of theatrical performance. The Elizabethan theater began with groups of adult companies acting in a variety of places, including private houses, the halls of an inn or court, and inn-yards. James Burbage built one of the first permanent theater structures, aptly called the Theatre, 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, 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 Theatre, which was also located outside London.
The Elizabethan stage differed 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 absence of painted scenery. Because of the nature of how plays were performed, the platform stage had to be a relatively 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 either public or 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 or octagonal in shape. Sylvan Barnet notes that the Chorus of Shakespeare's Henry V calls the theater a "wooden O" (Barnet 765).
According to Wilson, the Fortune Theatre was square, with a rectangular stage running along one side (Wilson 279). According to historical records, this shape was the exception rather than the rule.
Private theaters held performances indoors and were lit with candles and windows that were usually located on the second story. While the name suggests that these playhouses excluded certain individuals, this was not the case in Elizabethan England. Private theaters were open to the public; however, they were considerably smaller than public theaters and, as a result, usually attracted a smaller audience.
The Elizabethan playhouse was small, according to G.B. Harrison. From available estimates, it is believed that the Elizabethan playhouse measured approximately 80 feet by 80 feet externally. The interior area was most likely 55 feet by 55 feet, with the stage occupying almost half of this space. While the playhouses might have been small, Harrison notes that even by today's standards, "the size of the stage is considerable" (Harrison 136). The inner stage was used for discoveries made throughout the course of plays but could also be used for concealments.
The stage itself is commonly referred to as the "apron" (Harrison 140). Generally, the stage was a raised platform, and audience members were never very far from the actors. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about plays during this era is that actors would step forth in broad daylight almost into the center of the audience. This concept is essential in that the actor and the spectators were "fused into a common experience" (Harrison 140). This helps us understand the nature of the famous soliloquy. In Elizabethan drama, the soliloquy was a "quite natural communication as a character explains his thoughts and intentions to those immediately before him" (140). As a result of this intimate setting, the actor did not need to shout or speak slowly. While it may seem difficult to believe today, the actor was easily heard and the spectators were "eager and trained listeners" (140). Wilson notes that even spectators at the back wall of the galleries "were less than 10 yards away from the stage" (Wilson 281). Indeed, the stage was the center of both attraction and action.
Most stages had trapdoors that were used for scenes such as the gravedigger scene in Hamlet. Located behind the stage was the stage house, or the tiring house, which was generally a three-story structure that housed all the props and scenery used in plays. Actors also changed costumes in the tiring area. The tiring house had two doors on either side that were used for entrances and exits throughout plays.
Some stages also had an inner stage located at the back of the regular stage. An example of when the inner stage might be used is the scene in which Polonius hides behind the curtain in Gertrude's room in Hamlet. After Hamlet stabs Polonius, the curtain revealed the dead man. Another feature of the stage was the "upper playing area" (Wilson 282), which was used in scenes requiring a second-story setting, such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. The third story of the tiring house is sometimes referred to as the "musicians' gallery" (282), where musicians performed. An extended roof from the tiring house served as protection for the stage.
The outer walls of the playhouse that circled the stage were constructed of three tiers of galleries, which allowed audience members to look down upon the action. Generally, it cost one penny to see a performance. The area on the floor in front of the stage — the pit — was reserved for the "poorer spectators" (Harrison 139) who could only afford to pay one penny. Those who could pay more were allowed into the central courtyard, where they would stand and watch the play. The seats in the tiers cost even more, and for an additional fee, nobility could sit on "cushioned seats in galleries next to the stage" (Wilson 270). One tier was sectioned into boxes known as "lords' rooms" (Wilson 280), reserved for the wealthy.
"Sparse scenery, symbolic props, and rhetorical acting"
"Chorus function in Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, and irony"
"Epilogues as closure and direct audience address"
In many ways, the Elizabethan theater changed drama permanently. The emergence of Shakespeare and other playwrights proved to be perfect timing for the new way in which plays were performed. The structure of the theater during this period changed the relationship between audience and actors by bringing them physically closer together and encouraging the audience to exercise their imagination. The intimate structure of the theater and the richness of the dramatic material changed how theater would be perceived and defined forever.
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