ELIZABETHAN THEATRE, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica ELIZABETHAN THEATRE e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! ELIZABETHAN THEATRE It’s the end of the 16th century in London. Elizabeth I is Queen of England. During the time of Elizabeth I, the most popular form of entertainment in England was the theatre. Companies of actors travelled around the country and performed plays. People didn’t think acting was a respectable profession for women, so the actors were always men. Young boys usually played the female roles! Everybody loved watching plays: rich and poor, men and women. Elizabeth I also loved the theatre and often invited groups to play for her. She invited William Shakespeare more often than others. In 1599, W. S. and other men he worked with built the Globe theatre in South London, near the River Thames. The Globe was a type of amphitheatre and it was made of wood. There was space for between 1,500 and 3,000 people in the Globe. Poor people stood in front of the stage. This area was called the “pit” and tickets cost one penny. Richer people sat in three levels of galleries around the pit. They paid an extra penny. Very rich people sat on chairs next to the stage. Unfortunately, in 1642 the Puritans closed all the theatres including the Globe. The Puritans were a political and religious movement. They hated theatre, music and dancing. In 1644, they demolished the Globe. More than 300 years later, in 1969, an American actor and director called Sam Wanamaker decided to rebuild the Globe. It took a long time and there were a lot of problems. But finally, in 1997, the theatre reopened near its original location. Every year, thousands of people visit the rebuilt theatre. They watch Shak.’s plays, and visit the museum and souvenir shop. Unfortunately, Wanamaker died in 1993, so he never saw his dream come true.