Theatre as an Art

Theater is an art form in which a series of events, usually a written play, is
performed by actors who impersonate the characters. It usually takes place on a stage before
an audience and for many cultures the theater has been used as an expression of storytelling
while others use it for religious, political or entertainment purposes. The word theater
comes from the Greek word theatron, meaning a place for seeing. In this sense, the word
refers to the building in which the plays are performed. It also encompasses all aspects
of play production.
How was a production created? The artistic creation in Shakespearean public
theatre came from the scripts. The actors did not rely on improvisation. They were
expected to know their parts without error. Actors who did not learn their parts correctly
were made fun of by the other members of the theatre. The company held strict
guidelines to the text even though it was often revised by the playwright. The supremacy
of the words in a play were often more respected than the person who authored it. They
arrangement of the narrative was the organizing part of staging.
Except for Richard Burbage, most actors had revolving lead roles and they all
shared in the lime-light. Burbage usually played a lead role and during a five year period
he gave character to Hamlet, Othello, and Lear. There seem to be no relation between
the actors and the characters they played. However, there was always a comedian on the
bill. Comic roles were always in the work no matter how serious the play may have
been. These were generally listed as "clown" in the cast of characters.
The actor received a particular role based on his ability and experience as a
performer. Many of the actors had double roles in one play. This was due in part to the
touring of the Elizabethan companies. They were able to portray the dominant and
popular roles of nobles, kings, knights, and yeomen. Another area of creation was that of
staging by the sharers. In Shakespearean theatre, the actors never let props or scenery
upstage the actor's performance. The actors were the focus of the play and enhanced it
only with their dazzling and rich costumes.
The distinctive manner in which the Chamberlain-King's men performed and
created their production was based on the fact that they owned the playhouses in which
they performed. The physical structure of the playhouse is what defined the staging and
overall performance. Since there was joint ownership of the Globe by this company, a
close and trusting association developed between the two. The Chamberlain-King's men
also had partnerships in the Blackfriars which gave them an indoor and an outdoor
theatre to perform in.
During the course of twenty three years since James Burbage's first playhouse had
been erected, Elizabethan drama and stage had been established and many advances in
dramatic writing occurred. The Theatre stands alone in its pioneering efforts to advance
theatre as art and bring about the first building in England for the presentation of plays.
In the meantime other playhouses were built, the Curtain, the Rose, the Swan, the first
and second Blackfriars. Each one brought a unique advancement towards the expansion
of theatrical presentations.

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