The Elizabethan theatre was graced by many a talented actors of that time. Edward Alleyn, Robert Armin
Robert Armin
Robert Armin was an English actor, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He became the leading comedy actor with the troupe associated with William Shakespeare following the departure of Will Kempe around 1600. Also a popular comic author, he wrote a comedy, The History of the Tw…
Christopher Beeston
Christopher Beeston was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood.
Richard Burbage
Richard Burbage was an English stage actor, widely considered to have been one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time. In addition to being a stage actor, he was also a theatre owner, entrepreneur, and painter. He was the younger brother of Cuthbert Burbage. Th…
Henry Condell
Henry Condell was an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. With John Heminges, he was instrumental in preparing and editing the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623.
William Kempe
William Kempe, commonly referred to as Will Kemp, was an English actor and dancer specialising in comic roles and best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas by William Shakespeare. Roles associated with his name may include the great comic creati…
William Rowley
William Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626 in the graveyard of St James's, Clerkenwell in north London.
Joseph Taylor
Joseph Taylor was a 17th-century English actor. As the successor of Richard Burbage as the leading actor with the King's Men, he was arguably the most important actor in the later Jacobean and the Caroline eras.
Who are some famous Elizabethan actors?
The Way out
- An acting troupe is defined as a group of actors that perform and travel together
- Prominent groups included Lord Strange’s Men, Admiral’s Men, and King’s Men.
- Earl of Leicester’s Men was one of queen Elizabeths favourite groups
- Lord Strange’s Men preformed several of Shakespears Plays
Did Elizabethan actors wear masks?
Masks were an integral part of the Elizabethan theater. William Shakespeare's acting troupes did not always boast large membership, so actors would play multiples roles, using masks to switch characters. When you are reading or staging one of the bard's plays, Shakespeare mask project ideas add an air of ...
What was unusual about Elizabethan actors?
- In the early 40’s costumes were heavily relied on to attract audience due to lack of props and scenery
- High class actors were allowed to wear top notch clothes, such as broad collared shirts and collarless jackets (more audiences)
- Queen Elizabeth I was responsible for introducing new styles of clothing to plays
Why was the Elizabethan theatre so popular?
Elizabethan theatre was popular for its time because Queen Elizabeth encouraged the arts, it was somewhere for every social class to go, and people could relate to the plays. One of the reasons that Elizabethan theatre was so popular was that it was enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth loved learning new things.
Who were the actors on an Elizabethan stage and why?
During the Elizabethan era only men were allowed to act in the theatre until 1660 - it was judged to be unseemly for a woman to undertake such a role. Young boys were therefore hired to act in the female roles. The white make-up used by young male Elizabethan actors was lead based and highly poisonous.
Who typically attended the Elizabethan theater?
Men and women attended plays, but often the prosperous women would wear a mask to disguise their identity (Elizabethan Era). Even though women did attend theatre, and even Queen Elizabeth herself loved the theatre women who attended theatre were often looked down upon.
What were five requirements for Elizabethan actors?
List at least five requirements for Elizabethan actors. They had to have good memory, strong clear voice, expert fencers, daners, acrobats, and a good singing voice.
How much did actors make in the Elizabethan era?
Actors, however, were fortunate enough to earn 6 shillings a week, which amounted to a yearly income of approximately £14. Here are 10 interesting facts about money in the world of Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. The standard rate for an author writing a play was approximately £5-6 in the 1590s.
What kind of people acted in Shakespeare's plays?
In Shakespeare's time acting was a profession only open to boys and men. Women were acting elsewhere in Europe but they were not allowed to perform in public theatres in England until 1660.
Who played the female roles and why?
Women were allowed to act in the theatre until 1660 as it was judged to be unseemly for a woman to undertake such a profession. Young boys were therefore hired to act in the female roles. The costumes used for the female characters were extremely elaborate, reflecting the clothes worn during the Elizabethan era.
What did it mean to be an Elizabethan actor?
Elizabethan actors lived very differently from modern theatre actors. Their use of a repertory system meant that their company would perform a different play each day, gradually cycling through the plays they owned, adding new ones, and dropping old ones that had gone out of fashion.
What was the acting style in Elizabethan times?
Presentational Acting Style It is generally agreed by scholars Elizabethan acting was largely presentational in style. Plays were more overtly a “performance” with clues the actors were aware of the presence of an audience instead of completely ignoring them as part of their art.
What gender were all of the actors in Shakespeare's time period?
Though there is evidence that women acted in street performances, and in other notorious venues, all commercial acting companies of the time were made up entirely of men and it was illegal for women to act on stage professionally until 1661.
Who is the first actor in the world?
ThespisAccording to tradition, in 534 or 535 BC, Thespis astounded audiences by leaping on to the back of a wooden cart and reciting poetry as if he was the characters whose lines he was reading. In doing so he became the world's first actor, and it is from him that we get the world thespian.
Why are actors called players?
In Shakespeare's theatre actors were called players. There were no actresses, so women's parts were played by boys. Some boys began their careers as Children of the Chapel Royal, while others were taken on by companies to play female roles.
Who is one of the great Shakespearean actors?
Sir Ian McKellen Long before he was Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings,” McKellen made his name as one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of all time.
Life in Elizabethan theatre
Women, back then, were not allowed to work in theatres and the Globe was no exception. The female roles were performed by young men and boys of adolescent age. Sometimes, even old men performed as women for the roles of old and haggard ones.
Licenses of Elizabethan acting troupes
Some of these acting troupes had a bad reputation. They were quite unruly and created a nuisance in the society.
Costumes of theatres
The actors wore vibrant and colourful clothes made of layers of fabric. Since women were not allowed to perform, young men and boys enacted female roles.
