The Actors Evolve
How They Out-Thought the Thinkers
Playhouses, Actors and Audiences, Oh My
"Stage left! Or is it right?"
"Are you sure this costume makes me look like a woman?"
100
Acting troupes were usually comprised of?
Four men and one boy
100
What was one reason theatre was unappreciated in London?
Plays were often lewd and profane, streets would become overcrowded after a performance
100
What was it that truly kickstarted the profession of acting?
The move to Southwark
100
What were the two types of playhouses?
Public and private
100
What colour was only the royal family allowed to wear?
Purple
200
What did roaming acting troupes charge their audience to see their performance?
Nothing
200
Why would bouts of the plague shut down playhouses?
People still believed that the plague was carried through the air so playhouses were considered dangerous
200
What led to a healthy rivalry between theatre companies?
Being outside of London allowed theatre companies to expand as well as new ones form
200
What were the three tiers of pricings?
One penny for a seat in the pit Two pennies for a lower balcony seat Three pennies for an upper balcony seat
200
What is a significant difference between our theatre and Elizabethan Theatre regarding sets?
There were no sets during Elizabethan Theatre
300
Why were many mobile acting troupes forced to settle down in London?
Because Queen Elizabeth gave out acting permits
300
What was the highly religious group of people belonging to the protestant church called?
Protestants
300
What caused theatre companies to become more professional?
The need to attract new patrons from London coupled with the need to keep these patrons away from the other playhouses
300
What were the people who sat in the pit called?
Groundlings
300
What aspects represented a female character?
White skin, rosy cheeks, and blonde hair?
400
What type of building did acting troupes buy to build stages inside?
Inns
400
Where did the acting companies move their playhouses to get out from under the thumb of the London Council?
Southwark
400
What two topics did Queen Elizabeth declare could not be performed on the stage?
Political and religious topics
400
What shape were the stages?
Round (or square)
400
What is odd about female characters in the Elizabethan Era?
They were all played by male actors between the ages of 15-19
500
What was the very funny pun I used at the end of this slide?
"You could even say they got their, act, together"
500
In what year did the London council ban theatre completely?
1577
500
What type of play did each flag a theatre company would raise represent?
White for comedy Red for history Black for Tragedy
500
How many days a week were the playhouses open?
Six days a week all year excluding religious holidays, lent, and outbreaks of the plague
500
Why are moments of intimacy only alluded to in Shakespearian plays?
Since all female actors were played by males it was deemed inappropriate for two men to be seen kissing on stage
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