Episode #16: Stepping inside The Globe to See a Play Might Surprise You, An Interview with Richard Dutton

We take it for granted that Shakespeare's theater was similar to ours, when in fact, the experience of stepping inside The Globe or other Elizabethan playhouses was quite different for Shakespeare than for us today. 

To take us behind the curtain and explore the inside of The Globe theater, Richard Dutton is our guide today, helping explore the sights, sounds, and smells inside a real Elizabethan theater.

Richard Dutton is a specialist in the theater of William Shakespeare, having written twenty nine books in all about Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and other early modern dramatists as well. He joins us today to take a look inside some of the unexpected theater conventions that were normal for Shakespeare, and might be surprising for us today.

In this episode, I’ll be asking Richard about :

What were the sights and sounds someone experienced upon entering The Globe? Shakespeare's plays reference a prayer to the Queen at the end of a production--why did they pray? Philip Henslowe is cited as having side jobs related to theater. In the business of theater, would all theater owners capitalize on their options for income this way? What about snacks? Did they have popcorn at the theater? ...and more!