The Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was built in 1599, on the shore on the Bankside district in London. This “playhouse” was built from timber, nails, and even stolen playhouse frames. It took four years to build this structure. However, this was not the prototype. In fact, there was another theatre that took its place beforehand. James Burbage created the original theatre, which was basically named “The Theatre,” in 1576. William Shakespeare himself and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men helped James construct The Theatre. Later, The Theatre was disassembled, due to the landowner’s sudden rent increase and stubbornness to renew the lease. Luckily, James and his brother discovered a provision in their lease, therefore being allowed to take apart the original theatre. The Burbage brothers had to carry The Theatre in large pieces by boat across the Thames River to the opposite shore. The people of London were anticipating the opening of the new theatre. As a result of these actions, the Globe Theatre was finally opened in 1599. To announce the opening, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men flew a flag showing a picture of Hercules holding a globe on his shoulders. Their first play was William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. It was over 40 feet tall and 100 feet in diameter, standing five feet off the ground. Some people referred to it as a ‘wooded O’. The capacity of the Globe Theatre was large enough to hold 3,000 people at its maximum! Although, there was only one entrance and only two fights of stairs. Fortunately, the theatre had three levels. The first level was for the poorest, who were also called “groundlings.” The second and third level was for the wealthier class. In addition, the Globe’s shape was circular with approximately 20 sides, giving it a circumference of 300 feet. With all these viewers coming into the Globe every day, the company made what seemed like a lot back then. The “Box Office” was where people had to pay to get into the theatre. Each person had to pay
The Globe Theatre was built in 1599, on the shore on the Bankside district in London. This “playhouse” was built from timber, nails, and even stolen playhouse frames. It took four years to build this structure. However, this was not the prototype. In fact, there was another theatre that took its place beforehand. James Burbage created the original theatre, which was basically named “The Theatre,” in 1576. William Shakespeare himself and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men helped James construct The Theatre. Later, The Theatre was disassembled, due to the landowner’s sudden rent increase and stubbornness to renew the lease. Luckily, James and his brother discovered a provision in their lease, therefore being allowed to take apart the original theatre. The Burbage brothers had to carry The Theatre in large pieces by boat across the Thames River to the opposite shore. The people of London were anticipating the opening of the new theatre. As a result of these actions, the Globe Theatre was finally opened in 1599. To announce the opening, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men flew a flag showing a picture of Hercules holding a globe on his shoulders. Their first play was William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. It was over 40 feet tall and 100 feet in diameter, standing five feet off the ground. Some people referred to it as a ‘wooded O’. The capacity of the Globe Theatre was large enough to hold 3,000 people at its maximum! Although, there was only one entrance and only two fights of stairs. Fortunately, the theatre had three levels. The first level was for the poorest, who were also called “groundlings.” The second and third level was for the wealthier class. In addition, the Globe’s shape was circular with approximately 20 sides, giving it a circumference of 300 feet. With all these viewers coming into the Globe every day, the company made what seemed like a lot back then. The “Box Office” was where people had to pay to get into the theatre. Each person had to pay