Comparing and Constrasting Changes Between the Elizabethan Theatre to Theatre of Today’s Society

Within this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the changes that have occurred between Elizabethan Theatre to theatre of today’s society, in particular drawing attention toward American theatre and its first existence. I will give specific examples, such as’Tis Pity She’s A Whore’ a play by John Ford, with regards to Elizabethan Theatre in comparison with the works within Broadway, and how particular playwrights, such as Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, helped to ground the movement that is American theatre. Within both theatre movements I will show how they reflect the society and culture in which they were birthed from.

The birth of Elizabethan Theatre came about when a group of travelling actors would move from one town to the next, however travelling was restricted and required a licence; as the actors were unable to travel, the nobles of England were granted licences to form troupes of players. This is where Elizabethan actors became apparent. These troupes of travelling actors would have had no choice but to perform to audiences within courtyards of inns; there was never a permanent venue, therefore temporary stages would have been erected and moved from one place to the next. It wasn’t until 1576 that the first theatre was built by entrepreneur James Burbage, who noticed the growth within the popularity of plays. The Burbage family also ran the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, who used it from 1594 to 1596. The other main theatre company at the time was The Admiral’s Men, which was back by Philip Henslowe, and initially headed by the actor Edward Alleyn.

American theatre began towards the end of the 18th Century, The first play was performed by a fully professional theatre company in September 1752, the play was perfor...

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...ple from all over the world have come to see, in being this it keeps it’s status of the upmost priority with regards to the entertainment sector of today’s generation. A lot of the work which we see now on broadway is that of an original kind, created by american playwrights, and directors; yet we must not forget the origins of its existence. Elizabethan theatre created a pathway for America to create a strong money grossing theatre land. To some extent I agree with what is being shown on broadway, yet why should we forget the past, shouldn't this be something to keep in memory of how far theatre in the US has come. Initiating past plays by historical figures such as William Shakespeare would educate the new generations of the past, yet what was in the past should never be left there, instead continued through alongside new developments for the generations to come.