Who watched Elizabethan plays?

Answer 1

In the early days, Shakespeare's plays (written during the period from about 1590 to 1612) were performed by troupes of actors, ('playing groups') companies of professional players who would perform plays from a variety of authors and sources. A troupe would operate as a business, with a core number of members/shareholders, hiring other actors as necessary for minor parts.

However, Shakespeare himself was long associated with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a special group of performing artists (play actors etc) who were appointed to provide entertainment for the monarch, with Shakespeare being one of the players. Although it appears that some of Shakespeare's early plays may have been performed by other playing companies before 1594, from that date onwards it seems Shakespeare's plays were initially only performed by 'The Lord Chamberlain's Men', who, in 1603, upgraded themselves, changing their name and registered their company as The King's Men.

William Shakespeare is actually listed as one of the members and performers in the 'King's Men' troupe, who were, in alphabetical order...

• Robert Armin
• Richard Burbage
• Henry Condell
• Richard Cowley
• Lawrence Fletcher
• John Heminges
• Augustine Phillips
• William Shakespeare
• William Sly

-------------------------------------------

However, given that scripts of Shakespeare's plays were sold from 1594 onwards, there is a distinct possibility that other playing groups would have obtained copies and then performed them in various parts of the country and possibly also elsewhere in Europe.

Shakespeare was evidently one of the main players in the performances of his plays up to 1614, taking either a lead role, or one or two minor ones. The 'First Folio' of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623, specifically identifies Shakespeare as being one of the principal actors in them.

Of course, after his death, and down through the centuries, many playhouses and theatre groups have put on performances of Shakespeare's plays. In Elizabethan and Victorian times his works became increasingly popular.

In more recent times, i.e. from 1879 until the present, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has probably been one of the foremost performers of his plays.

However, Shakespeare now has international appeal and his plays are performed by professional actors throughout the world, on stage, film and television, as well as being performed by amateur groups and by children at school.

Answer 2

There is a quite a bit has been written regarding who watched the plays. The theatre was divided into galleries, with the "groundlings" as the masses were called paying a penny to stand in the front at the stage. The wealthier members of the audience would have been in the galleries or Gentleman's rooms or Lord's chambers as they were called. Audiences would have been very diverse, with everyone from nobility to millers and butchers and actors in attendance.

Anyone who could afford the price would be allowed to attend. In practical terms, only two classes of people did not watch plays: those who were so dirt poor that any money they had went toward buying food, and those who boycotted the theatres on religious grounds. Royalty and the extremely rich did not attend theatres because they could afford to hire the playing companies to give private performances for them in their houses.

Answer 3

Rich and poor people attended Shakespeare's plays. The rich people sat in the galleries while poor people stood closer to the stage.

Answer 4

Elizabethan people. All kinds of people watched the plays from the queen on down to poor apprentices, thieves and prostitutes. The plays were the television of their day.