Your Production

Research your own Shakespeare play. What is the play about? When was it first performed? Find a contemporary production of the play so you can get an idea of it and research it in terms of concept, style, design, casting. Give some attention to your own character and role in the play.

RICHARD III

What is the play about?
Richard III is determined to become King. Once his brother Edward, the current king, dies, Richard takes the crown. Consumed by paranoia and ambition, he is responsible for several murders of people who threaten his position. With his reign as king based strongly on fear, Earl of Richmond announced war on Richard. The night before Richard is haunted by the ghost of his victims in his dreams, and then dies in battle.

When was it performed?
The earliest record of a performance of Richard III is 1633, when it was performed for King Charles on the 16th of November. Although now early records have been discovered, researchers have found the play was a big success. It went through 6 editions from the time it was written before it was included in an edition of all of Shakespeare's plays in 1623. This shows the plays popularity within Elizabethan society.

Contemporary Production of Richard III

In 2016, the BBC produced a three part TV series of Richard III with Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard. I found it very inspiring when researching the new productions of the play to find that the text is still being used and modified in a whole variations of ways. The most interesting production I found was Barry Kyle's Richard III, performed in 2003 with an all female cast.

Kathryn Hunter played Richard III in this controversial take on the play. Although female actors in nothing shocking in modern theatre, a lot of reviews say that the use of an all female cast gave the play a pantomime feel and took away the brutality of the story. The telegraph said that "Richard III needs to be more than an entertaining stand-up, and here Hunter falls short. She may make the audience laugh, but she rarely makes them shiver. The essential touch of the psycho is largely absent from this performance, only really caught in the furious moment when she seizes one of the young princes by the hair and repeatedly bashes his head against the floor". However, Barry did receive praise for the staging and set. The Elizabethan costumes were detailed and intricately expressed the grandeur of 1600s royalty. In terms of style and production, it was kept very traditional and true to the time. In order to not over complicate the story, Barry used the female cast as a subtly nod to modernisation but that was where the contemporary element stopped. The stage, characterisation and costumes all reflected the Elizabethan era. 

Unfortunately my character was not in the original script was was created purely for this production, therefore I am unable to research it.

Shakespeare Today

Analyse contemporary Shakespeare productions with reference to live performances you may have seen or clips or footage available online. You should comment on what you notice about them and how they differ from what you know about the original performance conditions of Shakespeare’s work? (Don’t be afraid to point out the obvious).

Consider how these productions are employing all the techniques, technology and resources of modern theatre.

Imogen, a modernized version of Shakespeare's Cymboline, was performed at the Globe in the autumn of 2016. The production and the set completely contradicted the traditional ideas of Shakespeare's plays; from the use of physical theatre and flying actors, to the costume and props. Like most people nowadays, the actors were covered in popular brands. The opposing families wore different brands, Nike and Adidas, which was a subtle way to make their identity clear without losing the new context that was created. Moreover, the whole beginning section was told in physical theatre with music aiding the atmosphere. Physical theatre it quite a new style of theatre, and defiantly wouldn't have been used in traditional Shakespeare plays, however they intertwined this new style seamlessly with the Elizabethan language. This allowed the audience to further their understand the story and the characters, even before the events of the play happened. Furthermore, all the characters were played by their written genders. For a woman to have the lead part was controversial for Shakespeare to have done in his era, but it would have never been performed by a women, instead a young boy would have taken on the role. The women of the play wore shorts, hoodies and didn't confine to the stereotypical ideas of women, which was how they were usually presented in most plays written in the 1600s. The one aspect of the play which matched Shakespearian style, was the stage. In a remodelled Globe Theatre, the play relied on daylight for lighting just like they would in the 1600s.

One of the biggest modernization of Twelfth Night, was the fact that they changed Malviolo to Malviola. The biggest effect of this was the fact that it had no effect on the play. It showed how in a lot of roles, gender doesn't matter because the emotion people feel and the way they react to events isn't determined by their gender, but by who they are. I found this very interesting when watching twelfth night, because there was nothing she said that I felt was out of place. Unlike Shakespearian plays in Elizabethan times, where the set was simple and the lighting was determined by the sun; the set of this production was intricate, detailed and life like. It constantly changed from scene to scene so that as an audience member, it was easy to surround yourself in the world of the play. It differed greatly from Shakespeare plays, especially the way the women were presented. Nowadays showing skin isn't a problem, but in the 1600s if a woman were to appear on stage in a swimming costume, as one of the actors did, the would be shunned. This elevated the play into modern day and once I was used to the old fashioned language which was still intact, it made it easy to forget that this play was written 100s of years ago.

Theatres, Actors and Acting in Shakespeare's Time

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/uploads/files/2014/01/actors.pdf

What were the theatres or ‘playhouses’ of Shakespeare’s time like and how were plays staged in them? 

Before the first playhouse was built, theatre was performed in yards and inn-houses. But in the 1600s, two types of playhouses were built. The first, the open air amphitheater where the audience would either stand around the stage or on seats, but these tickets were more expensive. This type of playhouse only put on shows during the summer months and plays were designed to b performed outside with natural daylight. The second type of theatre, are indoor halls, They were rectangular in shape, with the stage on one of the shorter sides. The most expensive tickets were right at the front, with the cheaper ones around the edges of the three sides of the stage. These indoor theatres allowed for more luxury and comfort. Playhouses were elaborately decorated inside. The stages rarely had set, but instead they had hangings such as painted pieces of cloth or curtains.

MAIN DIFFERENCES

• Indoor halls were suitable for all weather at any time of year, where as outdoors was just for summer
• open air theatres would often have noisy special effects which indoor theatres could not have as it would disturb the neighbours
• tickets to indoor playhouses were more expensive. Outdoor was 1 - 3 pennies, whereas indoor was 2 - 26
• everyone got a seat at indoor playhouses, the more expensive the ticket, the better the seat was in terms of where it was placed in the theatre
• food and drink was served in outdoor playhouses
• outdoor performances were lit by natural light, where as indoor performances were lit with candle light. This is why plays started having intervals, so there was time for the candles to get replaced
• the acoustics were better in indoor theatres, therefore their sound and music was more effective than outdoor theatres
• Because playhouses were indoors, the set and costumes could get reused regularly as they weren't ruined by weather

Who were the actors of Shakespeare’s plays and how did the experience of being an actor differ from the experience today?

In Shakespearean time actors were called players. All of the female characters were played by young boys, most of which were part of a company called the Children of the Chapel Royal. Travelling actors were not trusted in society. If they were to perform they'd have to prove their right to be there with licenses and making sure they met regulations because everyone would approach them with suspicion. However, actors who worked in purpose built theatres were very popular in society and were treated with great respect. Actors were part of companies and their size depended on how wealthy the company was and where they were working. A wealthy company would have 8 - 12 men and 3 - 4 boys.

Shakespeare's London and Elizabethan Audiences

WHAT WAS LONDON LIKE IN ELIZABETHAN TIMES AND WHO WERE THE PEOPLE ATTENDING THE THEATRE?


LONDON
London was the biggest city in England, and was home to the royal family and most of the nobility. It also held the first permanent playhouse. By the 1600 the number of people going to the theatre per week, rose to 20,000. During the Elizabethan rain, London grew from 50,000 residents to 200,000, mostly due to migration from Europe. A lot of people were losing jobs in the countryside, so moved to London in search of jobs. It was incredibly overcrowded which increased crime rate and also allowed disease to spread quicker.




The main part of the city was by the river thames because people got their water from there, it was incredibly crowded around there as everyone wanted to live near the biggest water supply. The housing was mostly apartment buildings for the middle class, but London also homed some of the richest mansions.

AUDIENCES
Because of the cheap prices of open air theatres, everyone was able to go to the theatre. Servants could spend their spare time there as the standing tickets were 1 penny, and wealthy men and women could buy the expensive seats. Royals would hire the performing company to come to them rather than going to a public theatre. The low prices was one of the biggest reasons for theatre's growing popularity during that time. For 2 pennies someone could sit on the lower bench, and for a penny more they could get a cushion to sit on. The cheapest tickets in an indoor theatre was 6 pennies. Theatre's gained most of their money through selling food during the performances, and also because of the bad reputation standing tickets had, most people would try and buy the more expensive ones. Getting a standing ticket made you seem poor and smelly because most people complained about the smell of the pit and in those times, reputation was important. Some audience members were purely there to be seen and to show off their expensive clothes. The audience were also very involved in the performances, they would cheer the hero and boo the villain. Because of the lack of fear the audience members had to show their appearance, the plays had to be exciting in order to not get booed off. A lot of plays would re tell famous stories to attract the audiences attention, and use violence and humor to surprise them. In 1629, a French company were hissed and had apple seeds thrown at them. This was because they had used women to play the female roles which the English audiences didn't agree with. Theares also had to fight for their audience as there was a lot of other entertainment they could go and see such as cock-fighting and bear-baiting. In fact theatre got band of Thursdays because people enjoyed bear-baiting so much.

Shakespeare's Life and Biography

SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE
Shakespeare was born on the 23rd April, though the precise date of his birth is unknown, and was the oldest son of Mary and John Shakespeare. He had three brothers and two sisters, however one dies when she was seven. John was a leatherworker who specialized in white leather. He worked up through local offices in Stratford to become the town bailiff. By this point he was married to Mary. Because of his father's reputation, Shakespeare attended the Stratford Grammar School until the age of 15 where he studied Latin classics including writing and acting in Latin plays. Once he left, he married Anne Hathaway, she was 26 at the time. In 1585, they had their first child Susanna and three years later had twins, Judith and Hamnet, who died at 11. Shakespeare eventually moved to London while Anne and the children lived in Stratford. There are no records of how Shakespeare made a living whilst living in Stratford after the birth of his children. The next record of Shakespeare is him as an established actor and playwright in 1592. His play, Henry IV was performed at the Rose theatre, and afterwards he continued to write around 40 plays. He also became a business partner in an acting company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. In Hanuary 1616, Shakespeare died and was buried in the Holy Trinity church in Stratford-upon-Avon.

William was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a town in Warwickshire. It was best known for it's weekly market that was held on Stratford High Street in the center of the town. It had a population of less than five million. The town itself was surrounded by countryside and woodlands. In Elizabethan England, the wool trade was growing, which meant the fields where peasants worked, were now being used to keep sheep which needed less workers. Amongst other things, John Shakespeare was a wool trader, which explains why he moved to Stratford. In Shakespeare's time, the country was suffering form an outbreak of the bubonic plague, fortunately none of his family died from it. Life for people in Stratford was easy as there was no reason for a person to travel further than half a day's walk. Everything was available within the Stratford area. Water wasn't clean so people drank ale which was brewed and sold in Stratford. John Shakespeare's first civic duty was Ale-tasting. Other trades in Stratford included wool and farm produce. However, money was tight so people would exchange things in order to get what they needed.

Setting Scene - Life in Elizabethan England

references: http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/elizabethan-england-superstitions.html
QUESTION: What sense do you get of what life was like in Elizabethan England? Try to include information on: The population, entertainment, religion, superstition, money, jobs, medicine, theatre.

CLASS SYSTEM
1. monarch 

2. nobility

3. gentry

4. merchants

5. laborers 

The queen was believed to be God's representation here on Earth.

If you were poor in the Elizabethan time, you would have one of three jobs:

yeoman - owns or rents his farm and employes workers

husbandman - rents the land that he works on

labourer - work on other peoples farms

working day starts at dawn and ends at sunset, and a labourer would earn a fourpence for that whole day. On that wage someone could by bread, a small amount of cheese and butter per week; four small pieces of meat and fish per week; and some ale because water is polluted. However they would usually buy less in order to pay for rent and wood for fire, moreover, this would be split between a husband, a wife, and their family, leaving each person with hardly any food at all. The population of Elizabethan England was 4.1 million and the average life expectancy was 47, but most wealthy people lived a little bit longer as the could afford medicine.


EDUCATION
At the age of five, boys would be sent to 'pretty school', which was a house run by trained housewives, who taught children in exchange for money. They would have lessons on behavior as well as how to read and write. Christianity was also largley involved in the education system as England was a catholic country. Petty schools would use horn books, which is a printed version of the alphabet in lower and upper case letters, stuck onto a board of wood.

You had to be higher in the social triangle to be able to afford to go to school. There were five main schools which offered further education:

University Faculty of the arts which taught Philosophy, Poetics, Rhetoric as well as Natural History among others.

University Faculty of Liberal Arts might have included Grammar, Music, Logic, Arithmetic and Geometry as well as Astronomy education. 

University Faculty of Theology which taught religious education.

The University Faculty of Medicine which included the study of Hippocrates, Galen, as well as Jewish and Arabic medical texts. 

University Faculty of Law.


SUPERSTITION
There were many superstitions in the Elizabethan era and some are still believed in today.
One is that when you sneeze with your mouth open, your giving the devil a chance to enter your body, so people say bless you in order to stop that from happening. Another is that a pot stirred counter-clockwise brings bad luck and also ruins the food being made in it. The seventh son is believed to have supernatural powers. Any encounter with a cat is associated with witches. Withes were really feared in Elizabethan time and people were persecuted if they were found out to be one. It was believed that witches brought evil spirits that caused murders. It was also believed that if you touched a man about to be executed, if a cow breathed on you or if you spit into a fire, then you will have good luck.


THEATRE
William Shakespeare was the biggest playwrite of the Elizabethan era as his plays usually focused on controversial topics of that time. Most other play writes would center their writing around religion an would have a strong moral message. However, London authorities didn't like theatre and wouldn't allow plays to be performed in the city, so theatre's opened up in Southwark by the thames. Before the first theatre was built in 1579 in Shoreditch, plays were performed in inns or upper class people's houses. If a play were held in a house, the owner had to make sure it wasn't controversial in order to keep his reputation. But once the first theatre was built, more open air theatres were built including the Rose in 1587 and the Globe in 1599 which was built by Shakespeare's company. People stood whilst watching theatre unless they were rich enough to sit in one of the seating areas. All shows were in the afternoon because they had to use natural light. Some women attended plays, although well recognised women would wear masks to hide their identity in order to protect their reputation. Moreover, women were not allowed to perform in plays, and women parts were often played by young boy


RELIGION
Queen Elizabeth wanted a church that appealed to both protestants and catholics because the queen who reigned before her was strictly catholic which resulted in many protestants leaving England in fear of their lives. Even though Elizabeth was brought up protestant and believed in her faith, she didn't think that this should stop catholics believing in theres, "There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith". However, the people she worked with didn't agree and she had to adopt harsher rules towards catholics then she intended to. She disagreed with protestant extremists and wanted the church to be more appealing so that the catholic religion would naturally die out as people moved towards her church.


ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment was popular in elizabethan times because at the time one third of the population was dying of the plague and any attempt to keep spirits high was widely popular. Day to day people would play games like chess, cards and tennis. The upper class would go hunting or fencing and attend tournaments. Another form of entertainment was bear baiting which involved the torment of a bear by dogs and often the bear would be blind. There were also people who provided entertainment for the rich, their jobs included:             Jesters - people who made a fool of themselves for comical entertainment
Mummers - dancers at festivals who wore masks and dark costumes
Troubadours - musicians who travelled round the country singing love songs
Acting Troupes - travelling actors
Jugglers - who also did magic tricks


MEDICINE
Most illnesses in the Elizabethan time were due to the unsanitary conditions people lived in. There were open sewers which were rarely empties, and when they were they were thrown into rivers. There was also no running water, just water pumps. Medicine was very basic as there was no real understanding of disease and prevention at that time. The plague was treated by pricking the buboe and applying warm butter, onion and garlic. Vinegar was used to clean wounds and believed to kill infection. Most other aches and pains were treated with herbs, for example, lavender, sage, and bay for head pains. Depending on what class you were in, you had access to different kinds of doctor figure. The richest would hire a Elizabethan Physician which cost one gold coin work 10 shillings. An Apothecary was most people's options and they gave out drugs as treatments. The poor would either turn to the church for comfort or the local wise woman for advise, but neither of them gave them treatment to help the sickness they were experiencing.