Shakespeare's role in theatre
by Gwen Herat
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An illustration of the
London Bridge in 1627 by Claude de Longe. The Globe and Hope
Theatres are on the far right. |
The cultural diversity and the confusion that was evidently felt,
needed to be interpreted on stage and removed from roadside shows as was
during Shakespeare's time. Where and how to start became the major
issue. It was revelatory. The point of view of the theatre was like a
monarch of a toppled regime. It involved the attempt to resolve a
paradox and be faithful to Shakespeare plays which process was central.
Traditions continued to dominate but the play's limitations became
excessively a problem for the lack of permanent settings for staging the
plays. Actors trudged the countryside playing in the open and market
places until James Barbage changed the scenario.
He secured a permanent patent for a London company and built an
outdoor theatre in 1576 and called it the theatre of the day where later
Lord Chamberlaine's men who were in Shakespeare's company would
eventually perform. The theatre was not free but was subject to
opposition by those who resented the Bard. However, with fixed players,
the idea caught on. Plays such as the Curtain, the Swan, the Fortune and
the Rose became popular. And Shakespeare rose to prominence.
Later, the actors were to face problems with the fast developing
professional companies. However, with the traditional social structure,
theatre-going developed into a craze by the end of the century,
protected by Queen Elizabeth.
There was no stopping Shakespeare
James Barbage built a theatre to the north of the city and by 1594
Lord Chamberlain's Men including Shakespeare were residents in the
theatre. The Globe was on the North and the Rose on the Sound bank of
River Thames which was a part of Surray. There was also the Blackfriars
that had been a monastery outside the city authority. Their functions
were different but with a single goal; to popularise Shakespeare plays.
The ideas and dreams flourished when one by one, a dedication to
Shakespeare flowered, from one small theatre to another. They became the
landmark of future generations, as we see the magnificent Royal
Shakespeare Theatre a testimony to the greatest poet that ever lived.
Like his humble beginnings the theatre too fought its way simultaneously
to preserve English that was to make a world of difference from
classroom to academics of high calibre. The literary scene buzzed and
with a new vocabulary, unprecedented dialogues were written in
Shakespearean English. And there was the theatre 'live to the audiences
not only in England but around the world, from generation to generation
and from century to century.
The Globe
People felt a new experience because the theatre favoured two things
above all the others: actors and the spoken word. It was difficult for
actors to establish a sense of place as the play required, as there were
no sets. Girls had to play boys in the plays and the back-up music was
scarce; emotions and feelings were lost as most of the time actors had
to raise their voices from market places or the roadside. But the people
displayed a growing appreciation and the actors' power required the
active co-operation of the audience which played along.
The indoor hall-type theatres were boring and admission charges were
low. There was a recess but not before the Barbage brothers made a
unique deal for the short capital in 1599 with leading shareholders of
the actors' company. There were five, and one was Shakespeare's Globe.
The new deal secured for Lord Chamberlain's Men stability and
self-determination. In 1603, Lord Chamberlain's Men came to be known as
King's Men and remained intact until 1642. Shakespeare and his plays
established going from strength to strength.
Opposition
Somehow, everything did not go well by 1642, when those opposed to
the theatre, got it closed down. When they reopened in 1660 they were
different to those of Shakespeare. However, in the last years of his
life, he was able to have the indoor theatre at Blackfriars with the
Tempest reflecting its different resources. But his company still played
at the Globe. Unfortunately, the open air theatres did not survive into
the 17th century. From 1660 Shakespeare's plays had to be adapted to
suit and accommodate different kinds of theatres as well as taste.
In the 17th century Shakespeare's plays gave the impression of
popularity without knowing why. Critics and scholars were on to a
neo-classical literature theory which of course, Shakespeare cheerfully
flouted.
Shakespeare demonstrated his skills which at times let him be an
exception to the neo-classical doctrine, but at other times he reworked
them to fit their taste. Shakespeare had the capacity to evolve around
the unsung and unpolished mess left behind by his critics who by now had
faded out of the scene.
But the order had not changed because the Restoration actor still
enjoyed something of his Elizabethan predecessors' intimacy with the
audience. Most important at that time, 'he' was also now a 'she'. Gone
were the days that boys acted girls' roles. It was Margaret Hughes who
initiated the profession of actress-playing by acting as Desdemona in
1660.
Still, everything was not clear for the stage. It was hugely
expensive to create new sets of scenery and players often just used what
was available as props. The tradition continued to dominate the acting
of Shakespeare plays and actors were faced with the limitation on time
and cultural conservatism of the 18th century.
In 1741 Charles Macklin scored a massive hit as Shylock when he first
played the role followed by David Garrick who played Richard III in a
London debut from an adaptation by Colley Cibber and later as a
redefined Shylock. There was still no assumption that performance needed
to be organised. One role after another when mounted on stage, enhanced
the importance of Shakespeare's dialogue. People enjoyed a collective
identity and his plays became extremely popular as part of London life.
Stratford-upon-Avon brings us to Daniel Baker, the puritan High
Baliff who banned players from the town in Shakespeare's lifetime.
For over a century after his death, there were few performances in
Stratford until 1746 when a touring company led by John Ward who was the
grandfather of John Phillip Kemble and Sarah Siddons, presented Othello
in the Old Town Hall.
Slowly and steadily the plays merged on and off until David Garrick
mounted a Shakespeare 'Jubilee'. The still flourishing Shakespeare Club
was founded in 1824, and in 1827 a small theatre was opened in Chapel
Lane only to be put down the following year.
In March 1926, a mysterious fire destroyed the old building leaving
only the library and the picture gallery. With generous donations from
America the building was restored to the present Shakespeare Memorial
Association and was opened by the Prince of Wales on Shakespeare's
birthday, April 23.
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