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How Has Theatre Changed Over Time

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Throughout history, theatre has changed and developed in various ways. There are cases of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance theatres. The Renaissance brought one of the most famous theatres, The Globe Theatre, and one of the biggest contributors to theatre, William Shakespeare. The performing art started out as celebrations and developed into everyday entertainment, resulting to theatr today. Theatre has been happening in the early stages of human life. Ancient Greece theatre was the first known theatre in Europe was “a religious festival to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility” (Knowitall 2018). The first known actor was a poet by the name of Thespis, he engaged “in a dialogue with the chorus” (History World). Due to this, actors …show more content…

The Renaissance is where theatre bloomed. William Shakespeare was born in 1654, in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Shakespeare was a poet and playwright that changed the course of theatre. Queen Elizabeth strongly supported the arts and enjoyed watching them. During this time the Globe theatre was built, “It was one of four major theatres in the area, along with the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope” (Shakespeare Resource Center 2017). The theatre was shaped in a circular format with and no roof, so that the performances would be provided with lighting from the sun, “The open-air, polygonal amphitheater rose three stories high with a diameter of approximately 100 feet, holding a seating capacity of up to 3,000 spectator” (The Shakespeare Resource Center 2017). Its circular shape allowed for multiple viewers and all around seating. The higher covered sections provided seats for the nobility and the pit was where the poor could view the show with standing room only. Everyone wanted to see one Shakespear’s brilliant plays, and with the arrangement of seat and standing prices, most could. In today's theatre there are similar aspects, but now there is the development of stage lights and the seats closer to the stage are priced higher than the seats

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