struct buildings that were suitable for the performance of plays. By the late 1500s, there were over a dozen theaters in the immediate London area. At this time, the most popular theater, "The Theatre" housed the most prestigious of plays. For years, this one individual theater acted as the center of the town, where the most famous plays were shown. But in 1597, the lease on the land on which The Theatre sat expired and the owner of the land would not renew the lease. (Encarta n/p) In the winter of 1598, while the original owner was away, the people of London decided to move the theater, board by board. They began to rebuild the theater in Southwark, London, near The Rose, The Swan, and The Hope theaters. After ten months of rebuilding, the theater was later renamed as The Globe in 1598.The Globe Theatre was rebuilt primarily for the fall of the previous theater. Upon completion of the newer, revised theater, The Globe actually turned out not to be the largest of it's time. The theater was three stories high, one-hundred feet in diameter, and could hold as many as 2,900 patrons if desired. (Encarta n/p) The Globe Theatre was constructed as a mixture between a Roman Amphitheater and an English Tudor House. The architecture of The Globe was very unique. There was no roof over the actual theater. There was however a thatched roof over the stage. The use of a roof over the stage was not only to protect the performers from the weather, but to improve acoustics as well. (Hornell 44) Two very elaborate, almost gaudy pillars held the roof over the stage, a style favored by the Elizabethans. The stage in itself was rectangular and extended into the middle of the auditorium. Various trapdoors were cut in the center of the stage, through which an actor might disappear or leap forth, as the action demanded. A balcony hung over the rear of the stage and a musicians' gallery was tucked behind the balcony. (Richman 1) Unseen, beh...
