Homework Help! - History of theatre

Denna Prudente: In Shakespeare's time, the theatre goer would experience more classical plays with classical themes, and to some degree written in poetry, iambic pentameter.All of the actors would have been men.Since electricity had not been discovered, the plays were all done outside during the daytime. The theatre buildings were obviously topless to let in the sunshine. The drawback was, a play could be called because of rain.Any musicians played in a small room above the stage instead of in a pit in front of it.Wealthy audience members had seats in the horse shoe shaped theatre. The wealthier you were, the closer to the stage you sat. That wasn't so you could see or hear better, but so the others could see you better in your fine clothing.People with very little money stood on the ground in front of and on either side of the stage. They actually had the best vantage points in the house. The audience would loudly talk to the actors and each other during the show, a prac! tice I'm happy to say has gone away. The people who stood on the ground, groundlings, were un-educated and if they weren't immediately entertained, they would shout and throw things at the actors. They brought ammunition that consisted of rocks and bits of animals that had been killed on the farms. This is why so many of Shakespeare's plays began with either bloody fights or dirty jokes. In Shakespeare's England, there were no musical comedies, that being an American invention, and opera was just getting off the ground on the continent.Today, you buy your tickets in advance, go to the theatre where you may buy a refreshment which you probably may not take into the auditorium. You take your program, find your seat and hopefully you enjoy the show. During intermission you may use the rest room or buy really expensive snacks. At some shows, you may even buy T shirts and coffee . In Shakespeare's day, there were vendors who sold snacks much the same as they are sold at ball gam! es, or you could bring something from home, and there were no ! souvenirs.OH yes, and the women's parts are played by women.I do wish YA knew that "theatre" is a correct spelling....Show more