How did audiences know when a tragedy was about to be performed at the Globe Theatre?
Red, White or Black flags flying form the Flag mast at the top of the Globe Theatre indicated whether the play to be performed was a history, comedy or a tragedy.
How was the public notified about performances at the Globe Theater?
How was the public notified about performances? Flags would be put on top of the theatre, depending on the color, the public would know if it was tragedy, romance, history, or comedy.
What was it like performing in the Globe Theatre?
The rowdy pit was filled with commoners watching and loudly applauding the plays. Fights often broke out; thievery and prostitution were common in the lowest level. The audience must have loved the plays to endure the crowded, smelly, uncomfortable conditions for up to three hours at a time.
How much did it cost to see a show at the Globe Theatre?
Admission to the indoor theatres started at 6 pence. One penny was only the price of a loaf of bread. Compare that to today’s prices. The low cost was one reason the theatre was so popular.
What would the audience do if they did not like a performance in the Globe Theatre?
They could also buy snacks, like meat pies, and drinks, like ale, from sellers in the theatre – a tradition which still goes on with interval ice-creams. The audience might buy apples to eat. If they didn’t like the play, the audience threw them at the actors!
What eventually happened to the Globe Theatre?
On 29 June 1613, the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642.
How many times did the Globe Theater close due to the bubonic plague?
The audiences only dropped during outbreaks of the bubonic plague, which was unfortunately an all too common occurrence during the Elizabethan era. This happened in 1593, 1603 and 1608 when all theaters were closed due to the Bubonic Plague (The Black Death).
Is the Globe Theater still used?
Although the original Globe Theatre was lost to fire, today a modern version sits on the south bank of the River Thames. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is now a huge complex holding a reconstructed original outdoor theatre, a winter theatre, a museum, and an education centre.
What is the Globe Theatre made of?
Streete and his workmen built a brick base for the theatre. The walls were made from big timber frames, filled with smaller slats of wood covered with plaster that had cow hair in it.