Renaissance+Theaters

'The play is the thing.' It was a way of life and culture back in the Renaissance that everyone enjoyed. No matter what social status someone was, they wanted to see a play, and every single theater played an important part in people's everyday lives. All the diferent London theaters that played an important part in the Renaissance were unique in their own way.

The Globe Theater was where everyone wanted to go back in the Renaissance. With a round structure, the center of the roof taken out(for lighting purposes), and seats all around the stage, the audience could get a glimpse of the play from anywhere! Upper classes would sit on the side of the theater where the stage was, above. Middle class usually sat on the ground level, or sometimes in the stage off of the ground. Lower class would either sit on the benches on the ground level, or sit on the ground in front of the stage. No matter what class anyone was in, the theater was packed with members from all. The Globe Theater was probably one of the most famous theaters of the Renaissance, but it wasn't the only one.

The Swan and Newington Butts were also some very important theaters during this point in time. The Swan was mentioned as “so beautiful that it is worth a visit.” The other theaters of the Renaissance had a similar layout in how it was built. The Swan was built with flint stones stacked on top of each other, supported by wood pillars. The theater was able to sit 3000 people!(Elizabethan). Newington Butts was believed to be in use in 1580 on through the Renaissance, and was located in Southwark.(Elizabethan).

The Renaissance also included other forms of theaters. There were the Amphitheaters, which were all about making money. They were built to sit as many people as possible(Elizabethan). The inn-yards were very popular. They provided rooms for the guests to send the night in.They also had indoor and outdoor playhouses, which were different from a lot of other theaters. Outdoor playhouses were public theaters that started opening around the 1590s. However, indoor playhouses were private theaters that had been in use in the 1570s and 80s. They became very important after the turn of the century.(Elizabethan).Some of the private theaters included the Blackfriars (the first and second), Paul’s, Salisbury Court, Cockpit, Gray’s Inn Theatre, Middle Temple Inn Theatre, Whitehall Theatre, and the Whitefriars(Elizabethan).

Before 1576, there were no theters built, so they used the yards of inns for performances. The first people that thought of the idea to build a theater knew it was going to make them a lot of money. Even the owners of different inns built temporary stages for performances, knowing they would make money putting on a show there (Elizabethan).

Theaters were a very important part of life back in the Renaissance. People of all different statuses would go see a great play. Whether it was going to an amphitheater, an indoor playhouse, an outdoor playhouse, or visiting inn-yards, people just wanted to have a good time. Theaters had a great effect on the way of life of people today.

Work Cited:

"Elizabethan Theatre." //Elizabethan Theatre//. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2012. .