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1. The first playhouses

he Elizabethans created an elaborate system of activities and events to keep themselves entertained. One of the favourite entertainments was watching theatrical performances. Since ancient times there existed two principle stages on which dramatic art developed in Europe. These were the church and the market place. In the 15^th century, the plays called moralities, were sometimes acted even in town halls. Church performances of mysteries and miracles were directed by priests and acted by the boys of the choir. Since then, it became a long-time tradition to have only men-actors on the English stage.

At the time of Henry VIII, when Protestants drove actors out of the church, acting became a profession in itself. As soon as people heard the sounds of a trumpet announcing the beginning of a play, they would run in crowds to the inn-court which served as an improvised stage. Indeed, an inn-court was best suited for the purpose, with its large open court surrounded by galleries. In the middle of the yard, actors put up a platform with dressing-rooms at the back. The so-called ‘clean’ public sat in the galleries which later came to be known as ‘boxes’, some even sat on the stage. The poorer spectators stood in front of the stage, in the stalls. To make the audience pay for the entertainment, the actors took advantage of the most thrilling moment in the plot and sent a hat round for a collection.

The development of drama in England was closely connected with the development of the theatre. From the very beginning, the regular drama was divided into comedy and tragedy. Most companies of players had their own playwrights who were also actors. As plays became more complicated, there appeared special playhouses. The first regular playhouse in London appeared on the premises of the former Blackfriars Monastery where miracles had been performed even before the Reformation. That playhouse was built in 1576 by the actor James Burbage who called it The Theatre. The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Shoreditch, just outside the City of London. The Theatre is considered to have been the first playhouse built in London for the sole purpose of theatrical productions. The Theatre's history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlain's Men which employed Shakespeare as actor and playwright. After a dispute with the landlord, the theatre was dismantled and the timbers were used in the construction of the Globe Theatre on Bankside.

The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors. The building was an almost round wooden building with three galleries that surrounded an open yard. The Theatre is said to have cost £700 to construct. It was a considerable sum for the age. Later, there appeared other playhouses – The Rose, The Curtain, The Swan, The Globe. There was a time when there were 9 playhouses in London alone. The playhouses did not belong to any definite company of actors. They traveled from place to place and hired a playhouse for their performances.

2. Actors and Society

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the Poor Laws provided that paupers, beggars and vagabonds should be sent to prison as tramps. The profession of a travelling actor became dangerous. Theatrical companies had to find patrons among the nobility. With a letter of recommendation from their patron, they got the right to travel and perform. Thus, some actors called themselves ‘The Earl of Leicester’s Servants’, others – ‘The Lord Chamberlain’s Men’. In 1583 the Queen appointed certain actors ‘Grooms of the Chamber’. And though the word ‘groom’ originally meant a man or a boy in charge of horses, now it got a new meaning – that of a provincial actor.

The worst enemies of actors were Puritans. They formed a religious sect which wanted to purify the Church of England from some forms which the Church had retained from Roman Catholics. Petty bourgeoisie needed a “cheaper Church” and hoped that they would become wealthy through careful and modest living. These principles, though highly moral at first sight, resulted in a furious attack upon the stage. Actors were actually locked out of the city because Puritans considered acting to be a menace to public morality.

The wealthy merchants also attacked the drama because plays and playgoers caused them a lot of trouble: the profits on beer went to the proprietors of the inns, not to the brewers. Also, all sorts of unwelcome people came to the playhouses. It turned out that beggars, bullies, pickpockets, drunkards and thieves were as fond of entertainment as ladies and gentlemen. What is more, during the hot months of the year, the strolling actors spread plague. That is why Town Councils and other administrative bodies quite reasonably wanted to get rid of actors.

Had it not been for the Queen herself and her courtiers, whose way of life provided more time for entertainment, the Corporation of London might have succeeded in prohibiting plays and actors altogether. As it was, the Queen and her court patronized and protected the more reputable theatrical companies. Even so, the Corporation of London made things hard enough for them, and to avoid some of their difficulties, actors tended more and more to set up their stages not in the City itself, but just outside, where the Lord Mayor had less control.