Today I went to the Globe theatre, which was where William Shakespeare's works were performed. Originally, it was on the other side of the river Thames, but it was moved as they didn't want to pay the rent. At the bottom, the poor would stand and even lean on the stage to watch! They paid one penny to go there. About 1,000 people could stand and watch. The Landowners would sit on proper seats at the bottom, middle and top. They would sit on hard wooden seats and pay in shillings. The Aristocracy would sit on nice chairs on the side of the middle layer, next to paintings of Greek Myths. They couldn't see the play, but they could hear it. The only reason they sat there was so they could make a spectacular entrance that everyone could see. They paid sixpence. The Royalty didn't go to watch the plays as they knew they would catch diseases from the poor. The actors performed at their palaces instead.
Only male actors performed at the Globe as women didn't have proper rights yet.
Here are some special effects used at the Globe...
Hanging- The person being hung would have a harness attached to their top. When the box was kicked away beneath their feet, the harness would pull them up.
Magic- There were lots of tricks used. One was a bird flying in front of a table and making a gesture with its hands. The food on the table disappeared. One theory about how this worked was that the table swung round, causing the food to fall off.
Blood- If someone was stabbed, the person who was hurt would press a sponge full of a liquid such as vinegar and the liquid would pour out.
William wrote lots of plays, such as Hamlet, a Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet.
The Globe was mainly made out of wood, and the roof was thatched. All the windows had no glass and there was an open roof. There was no lighting so if it was too dark to see, tough luck. You could always listen instead.
To get to the Globe, you would have to cross the river as few people lived on the same side as the Globe. There was only one bridge at the time, London Bridge, and that was clogged up with shops and houses. People used boats to get across the river, so there was lots of traffic in the water!
To let people know if a show was happening, a flag would be raised on a pole. Most people couldn't read, so that and word of mouth were the only ways people would know. The flag was taken down after the performance to let people know that the show had ended.
During one performance of Henry VIII, a cannon was fired from the theatre. This wasn't unusual, it happened all the time but on that particular occasion, the building was burnt down and was only rebuilt recently, just around the corner from the original site.
I really recommend visiting the Globe, as it is such a wonderful and interesting place. It has lots of fun quizzes and games to do and you learn such a lot in such a short space of time. I went on a guided tour and it was truly amazing.
Only male actors performed at the Globe as women didn't have proper rights yet.
Here are some special effects used at the Globe...
Hanging- The person being hung would have a harness attached to their top. When the box was kicked away beneath their feet, the harness would pull them up.
Magic- There were lots of tricks used. One was a bird flying in front of a table and making a gesture with its hands. The food on the table disappeared. One theory about how this worked was that the table swung round, causing the food to fall off.
Blood- If someone was stabbed, the person who was hurt would press a sponge full of a liquid such as vinegar and the liquid would pour out.
William wrote lots of plays, such as Hamlet, a Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet.
The Globe was mainly made out of wood, and the roof was thatched. All the windows had no glass and there was an open roof. There was no lighting so if it was too dark to see, tough luck. You could always listen instead.
To get to the Globe, you would have to cross the river as few people lived on the same side as the Globe. There was only one bridge at the time, London Bridge, and that was clogged up with shops and houses. People used boats to get across the river, so there was lots of traffic in the water!
To let people know if a show was happening, a flag would be raised on a pole. Most people couldn't read, so that and word of mouth were the only ways people would know. The flag was taken down after the performance to let people know that the show had ended.
During one performance of Henry VIII, a cannon was fired from the theatre. This wasn't unusual, it happened all the time but on that particular occasion, the building was burnt down and was only rebuilt recently, just around the corner from the original site.
I really recommend visiting the Globe, as it is such a wonderful and interesting place. It has lots of fun quizzes and games to do and you learn such a lot in such a short space of time. I went on a guided tour and it was truly amazing.