Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

A very warm welcome to today's lesson.

My name's Dr. Clayton, and I'm going to be guiding you through your learning today.

Welcome to today's lesson on theater trips.

In today's lesson, we're going to be exploring what the theater was like in Shakespeare's time and exploring people's attitudes towards it.

We're also going to consider modern attitudes to the theater and how the experience would've been different to Shakespeare's time.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to understand and compare attitudes towards the theater.

The keywords that we'll be using in our learning today are theater, improper, riotous, puritan, and immoral.

The definitions for our keywords are appearing on your screen now.

These words will help you unlock the learning for today, and you'll see them throughout the learning material.

If you can, try to use them in your discussions and written work today.

On your screen now is an image of a modern day replica of the original Globe Theatre.

This replica exists in London, and you can go there to watch performances of Shakespeare's plays, as well as participate in workshops and learning experiences about Shakespeare and the theater.

What I'd like you to do is look at the image and consider the following two questions.

What do you notice about it?

So you might think about whether you're expecting it to look like that, and what you notice about where the audience might be watching the performance from.

Then I'd like you to think about what it might have been like to see a performance at the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's time.

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

I heard some great discussions there around how it looks more like a modern day version of a stadium rather than what we think of as a theater.

Like Aisha, you might have noticed that quite a lot of the theater is exposed to the open air.

People could pay more and sit in the balconies under the shelter, but the majority of people would've watched the play standing in the arena by the stage area, which was exposed to the weather, which means they were likely to get wet and cold during the performance.

If you've seen a Shakespeare play, then like Lucas, you might have thought that Shakespeare's plays are normally around three hours long, and it would probably have been quite uncomfortable to stand and watch for that amount of time, especially if you were feeling wet and cold.

Like Izzy, you also might have noticed there aren't any lights in the theater, so the performances would've had to happen during the daytime in order for the audience to see the stage properly.

Now we're going to think a little bit about the history of the Globe Theatre and what it might tell us about attitudes towards the theater.

While the Globe Theatre is what we normally associate with Shakespeare's plays, his theater company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, performed in a venue called The Theatre in Shoreditch before they built the Globe.

The story of how they came to build the Globe is quite interesting.

The theater company were renting the land that the theater was built on from somebody else.

This arrangement worked fine for a few years, but when they started to have problems with the landlord, the company waited until the landlord was away and then employed a carpenter to take down the entire theater piece by piece so they could physically carry the theater onto a different site in Southbank.

And then they rebuilt the theater there and it became the Globe Theatre.

Now, when the company had moved all of the wood and materials from the theater to the new location, they obviously needed to rebuild the theater, and to do that they needed money.

So they offered the chance for members of the company to invest and become part owners.

As a member of the company, Shakespeare was offered this chance and he chose to pay £10 in 1597 to become one of five part owners of the theater.

Now, like Laura, you might think that £10 to earn 1/5 of a theater sounds like a really cheap price.

£10 in Shakespeare's time is equal to around £2,000 in today's money, which means that between them, the five owners payed just under £10,000 to own a theater, which is a very small amount of money.

Now, what I'd like you to think about is what this relative cheapness might say about the theater.

So you might think about the construction of the theater, but you also might think about the concept of a theater.

What's it say about how people felt towards the theater?

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing.

Heard some fantastic ideas there.

You might have thought that potentially the relative cheapness might suggest the theater was constructed out of cheap materials and therefore might be a bit dangerous if it wasn't structurally sound.

It could also suggest perhaps the theater wasn't considered a really valuable place if it was so cheap to be a part owner.

Now it's time for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is think about whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Shakespeare paid £10 for his share of the original Globe Theatre?

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

The correct answer is true.

He did pay £10 for his share of the Globe Theatre.

Now, what I'd like you to do is justify your answer.

So what does this tell us about the theater?

Is it A, it suggests the Globe Theatre was made of really expensive materials?

Or B, it suggests the theater was probably made of quite cheap materials?

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

The correct answer is B.

The fact that he paid £10, which is about £2,000 in today's money, suggests the theater was probably made out of quite cheap materials since the overall cost was about £10,000.

You're all doing really well so far, everyone.

We're now onto our first task of the lesson.

What we're going to do is take all the information we've learned about the Globe Theatre so far, and put it into practice by thinking about what it would be like to see a performance at the Globe Theatre.

So if you remember from the replica picture, the standing area of the Globe Theatre was exposed to the open air.

So what I would like you to discuss is how you think being exposed to the weather may have contributed to or affected people's enjoyment of the performances.

So you might think about how might it add to the atmosphere.

So imagine you're watching a really dark tragedy about Macbeth or Hamlet.

How might the idea of a storm or rain add to the performance of the atmosphere?

Then you might think about how actually you might feel physically if you're being rained on while watching a performance.

How might that affect your enjoyment of the performance?

Pause the video and take a few minutes to consider.

Amazing work there, everyone.

Like Laura, you might have thought that when you're physically uncomfortable, like as if you're cold or wet, you might fidget and move around more.

If you remember that people were standing, that might mean you're more likely to jostle into people and perhaps start a conversation with them.

Therefore, it might make the experience e a little bit more interactive and not like the experience of watching a film today in a comfortable cinema.

Like Jacob, you also might have thought about the emotional sense it might bring if you're feeling physically uncomfortable.

If you are watching people struggle on stage with something physical or emotional, the fact that you're also uncomfortable might make you empathize more with them, and it might make the performance more emotional to you and you might connect with it more.

You're all doing really well so far, everyone.

We're now going to think a little bit more about how people felt towards the theater and what the general experience of watching a performance might have been like.

We're going to start off by doing a little bit of work on the location of the Globe Theatre and how that might have influenced attitudes towards it.

The Globe Theatre was located on the south bank of the river, outside of the city of London.

People would've had to cross a bridge to reach this area, and it was full of places considered improper, such as pubs and theaters.

Remember that England was a very religious place in Shakespeare's time, and they might have frowned upon places with excessive entertainment or fun.

What I'd like you to think about is how might the fact that it was outside the city of London and the fact that people had to cross a bridge to reach the area add to the sense of impropriety?

So think about how sometimes people behave differently on holiday versus how they might behave at home.

So how might it affect your behavior if you go somewhere where people might not know you and you might not ever see those people again?

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

Like Sam, you might have said that being outside the city of London might make it seem more exciting, as if you were somewhere new and the rules didn't apply.

We often hear stories of people behaving worse on holiday because they get caught up in the moment and think that perhaps it doesn't matter if they embarrass themselves since it's not likely anyone will know them on holiday.

Like Alex, you might also have thought that crossing a bridge might add to the sense of it being somewhere different too.

Bridges are often seen as transitional places because you're crossing from one place to another, and that might make you imagine you're somewhere new and exciting, especially if there's a body of water between you and your home.

We're now going to think a little bit more about what the inside of a theater was like.

The design of a theater mimicked the arrangement for audiences of existing bear baiting and bull baiting houses.

This means there were tiered seats, which let everyone have a good look at the centre stage.

Now, bear baiting and bull baiting houses are illegal in England now, but they were popular entertainment in Shakespeare's time.

What I'd like you to do is think about what the atmosphere would've been like in the theater if it's built to mimic animal fighting houses.

Think about the fact that people would've been gambling money on which animal won, and people often get very emotional when they're watching a sport, particularly if money is involved.

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

Well done.

Like Laura, you might have thought that the atmosphere would've been quite riotous since it's likely that people would've been shouting support for their chosen animal.

They also might have been pushing to get a better view of the action, and they probably would've been quite angry and upset if their animal lost, because it meant they would lose money.

In terms of watching a performance, the Globe Theatre could accommodate up to 3,000 people.

One reason why the theater was probably very popular is that a ticket to the theater would cost as little as one penny, or £1.

75 in today's money.

So performances were often very busy and sold out.

People could also eat or drink during the performance.

When they've done excavation work on the remains of old theaters, they found proof of food all over the floor, so it probably would've been a very messy place.

People were often quite riotous throughout the performance as well.

They would cheer the actors they like and boo the actors they didn't like, and they'd often end up throwing objects on stage as well.

If any of you have seen a theater performance, you'll know that unless you're seeing a pantomime, theater audiences nowadays are expected to be silent during the performance and definitely not throw anything on stage.

The theater was also a very sensory place.

Special effects were created using animal blood, instruments, and gunpowder, so there were always a lot of smells and noises everywhere.

Now it's time for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is read through the following statements and pick which two of them are true of the theater experience in Shakespeare's time.

So it's A, it was quiet and peaceful.

B, it was noisy and loud.

C, it wasn't very popular entertainment.

Or D, it was very popular entertainment.

Pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are B, it was noisy and loud, and D, it was popular entertainment.

So well done if you selected those answers.

We're now going to think about those who didn't approve of the theater.

While the theater was a very popular form of entertainment from the working class people to the royal courts, there was one particular group of people who felt it was immoral and improper.

They were called the Puritans.

The Puritans were a small but influential group in Elizabethan England who believed the Church of England was not Protestant enough.

If you remember from our definition, they had very strict moral and religious codes and felt that entertainment such as the theater distracted people from worshiping God.

In 1642, the Puritans had the majority in Parliament, and so they voted to close all of the theaters.

The Globe Theatre was then pulled down in 1644.

You're all doing really well so far, everyone.

We're now onto our second task of the day.

What I'd like you to do is consider why you think the Puritans would object to theater.

Why might they consider it immoral and improper?

Remember from our definitions that immoral and improper means something that is socially and morally unacceptable.

You might consider the following ideas.

The atmosphere inside the theater.

So think about the fact it was very riotous atmosphere where people ate and drank and interacted with the actors.

You also might consider the very nature of dramatic performance.

So think about the fact that all the actors were pretending to be someone else through costumes and performance.

But also think about what the essential idea behind the theater is.

What is it meant to do?

Pause the video and create your answers now.

Amazing, some fantastic ideas there.

I really like the discussions around how in Shakespeare's time, all of the acting roles were performed by boys, and it's likely the Puritans would've felt that boys pretending to be girls and wearing girls' clothes was immoral.

Like Laura, you might also have thought that the costumes the actors wore were probably quite over the top in order to be seen by the audience, and they were probably too flashy and brightly colored for the Puritans because they wanted everyone to be very drab and less distracting.

Like Aisha, you might have thought the atmosphere inside the theater was very riotous.

Remember that people would've been jostling each other for a good view, they might have thrown objects on stage, and they would've shouted the actors.

The Puritans would've considered this very immoral and irresponsible behavior.

Finally, like Jacob, you might have thought about the fact that people go to the theater to be entertained.

The Puritans felt this was immoral and ungodly, since they felt that entertainment distracted people from worshiping God.

They also felt the theater symbolized the immorality of city life and even blamed the theater for causing London's frequent outbreaks of plague because it was God's way of punishing their sinfulness.

You're all doing really well, everyone.

We're now onto our final learning cycle of the lesson where we're going to think about how the experience of the theater is different nowadays to that of Shakespeare's day.

So if you remember from learning cycle two, the original Globe Theatre was pulled down in 1644 by the Puritans.

A reconstruction of the theater was then built in 1997, and you might remember the picture of that replica in learning cycle one.

You can still watch Shakespeare's plays performed at the replica of the Globe, and there are also theaters all around the country where you can watch performances.

So what I'd like you to think about is, what do you know about going to theater nowadays?

Have you perhaps seen a performance at the theater or maybe watched a clip of one?

Would you expect people to behave as they did in Shakespeare's time?

Pause the video and take a few moments to consider.

Amazing work, everyone.

The experience of the theater is very different from Shakespeare's time.

Nowadays, people expect others to be quiet and polite in the theater.

Ushers hold up signs at the beginning to remind people to turn their phones off, and you can be thrown out of the theater if you're making too much noise.

Actors would certainly not expect food or objects to be thrown at them, and again, you can be thrown out of the theater if you did so.

Ticket prices are also far more expensive nowadays.

You might remember that a ticket in Shakespeare's time cost the equivalent of £1.

75 in today's money, whereas the average West End ticket costs around £140.

This means that quite a lot of people are excluded from watching theater performances since they're simply far too expensive.

Now, for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is read the following statements and consider which two of them are true about Shakespearean theater versus modern theater.

So you have statement A, modern audiences act much the same way as Shakespearean audiences.

Statement B, modern audiences react very differently to Shakespearean audiences.

Statement C, ticket prices are very similar to Shakespearean prices.

Or statement D, ticket prices are very different to Shakespearean prices.

Pause the video and make your selections now.

The correct answers are B, that modern audiences reacted very differently to Shakespearean audiences, and D, that ticket prices are very different to Shakespearean prices.

So very well done if you selected those answers.

You've all done amazingly well today, everyone.

We're now onto our final task of the lesson.

What I'd like you to do is imagine you are a theater-goer in Shakespeare's time, and you're transported to modern day times.

How do you think you would react to a theater performance now?

You might consider the following.

The differences in audience expectation.

So imagine you're used to seeing a performance where you can interact with the actors, you can boo, you can cheer.

How do you think you'd react to then being in a very quiet, peaceful setting?

You might think about the difference in ticket prices.

So imagine you're used to paying £1.

75 for something, and suddenly you're asked to pay £140.

How might that seem to you?

And you also might think about the difference in attitudes.

So think about the idea that theater was seen as something entertaining, fun, but also quite immoral in Shakespeare's time.

Do you think we still think about the theater in the same way in modern times?

Pause the video and create your answers now.

Amazing work, everyone.

There's some great ideas there.

Like Sam, you might have imagined that a theater-goer who was transported from Shakespeare's time would probably feel quite intimidated walking up to a theater building nowadays.

If you remember, theaters were cheap to build in Shakespeare's time, whereas they're very expensive now.

So the building would probably look a lot fancier than the wooden constructions of Shakespeare's time.

You also might have imagined how the theater would react nowadays if someone tried to pay one penny for a ticket.

They'd most likely think you were joking.

For the theater-goer, it would feel like a huge amount of money to suddenly have to pay £140 for a ticket.

You also might have imagined the experience would feel a lot more comfortable in a modern theater since everyone has their own seat, rather than having to jostle for a good view of the stage in the standing area.

You might also have imagined how modern theater-goers might react to this theater-goer from Shakespeare's time.

They'd probably tut and give very disapproving looks to someone who tried to boo the actors.

If you remember at the start of the lesson, we talked about how physically uncomfortable the experience of the theater probably was in Shakespeare's time.

So someone who was transported to the modern theater would probably feel incredibly cozy and comfortable in a modern building.

Amazing work today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered today.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was located on the south bank of the River Thames in London, which was full of improper activities such as gambling and drinking.

Some people, particularly the Puritans, found the theater immoral.

And finally, the modern experience of the theater is very different to the experience of theater in Shakespeare's time.

You all did incredibly well today, everyone.

I really hope that you enjoyed today's lesson.

Goodbye.