Globe Theatre
The original Globe theater was built in 1599. The Globe is an outdoor theater it has an octagonal design with an open thatched roof. The original design burnt down after a theatrical canon went off during the play “Henry VIII” and caught the roof on fire. Shakespeare along with other actors owned the Globe. The theater was rebuilt and remained open until the Puritans shut it and all theaters down in 1642. The Globe was then torn down in 1644 by the Puritans.("Elizabethan theatre and," )
Sam Wanamaker, actor and director, dreamed about rebuilding the Globe. Wanamaker founded the Globe Trust and International Shakespeare Globe Centre. Wanamaker’s idea was to make a recreation of the Globe by using original building techniques. After years of fund raising, and acquiring a site near the original, the Globe was rebuilt in 1997. Only slight modifications to the design were made as per fire code regulation (Gurr, 2013). Plays were performed in the afternoon to allow for the lighting. The poor people stood and watched the show from “the pit,” and the rich occupied the seats in the stands. The actors were all men, with boys playing young women. The costume were quite elaborate; and the sets were very minimal. On days of the play a flag was flown; a white flag meant comedy, a black flag meant tragedy, red a history. A trumpet was sounded to announce that the play was to begin. The theater came equipped with trap doors for the actors to come out of. Actors could descend from the “heavens” a roof on the stage using rigging. Currently, many performance are held in the new Globe theater. ("Elizabethan theatre and," ). |