The Globe Theater

Everyone knows who William Shakespeare is but, what they probably don’t know is that he basically invented theater. He built this theater into a globe shape thus giving it the name The Globe Theater.
The Globe Theater is most famously the home of plays written by William Shakespeare in London. It could hold up to 1,500 plus of an audience capacity. Up to 3,000 people would flock to the theater and its grounds. The only thing was there was no heating or air conditioning. The way they attracted people was quiet funny, they had to put a flag up to advertise the type of play that was being performed. A black flag meant tragedy, white meant a comedy, and red meant history.
The Globe Theater would have particularly attracted young people. There were many complaints of apprentices avoiding work in order to go to the theater. When the theater was full a trumpet was sounded to remind everyone to there final seats. There were no actresses. Female characters had to be played by young boys. The acting profession was not a credible one and it was unthinkable that any women would appear in any play. Many of the actors died of poisoning due to the large amount of lead in the make up.
The Globe was only in use until 1613, when on June 29 a fire broke out at the Globe Theatre. The canon used for special affects, such as heralding great entrances, was loaded with gunpowder and wadding. The thatched roof caught on fire and the Globe Theatre burned to the ground. It is not known whether there were any casualties but there must have been some panic. In 1614 the Globe Theatre was rebuilt.
The Globe Theater has been significant in the development of Shakespeare’s works because of all the people who came to see them. Shakespeare got his plays out in the world to see.