Boars Head Elizabethan Theatre

The Boars Head Amphitheatre - Elizabethan Theatre

The known facts about the Boars Head, which was used as one of the massive amphitheatre venues for early English Elizabethan Theatre, are as follows:

• London Location of the Boars Head - Whitechapel
• The Boars Head was opened as an Inn-yard in 1557
• The Inn was originally owned by a widow called Mrs. Poley
• The theatrical entrepreneur involved with the Boars Head was Oliver Woodliffe
• The Inn-yard was converted to an ampitheatre in 1599
• The Boars Head was one of the 12 massive amphitheatres, including the Globe Theatre, which were built around the City of London

In 1574 the City of London started regulating the Inn-yard activities.  The Theatrical entrepreneurs fought back and started to build purpose built wooden theatres such as the Boars Head. It was styled on the open air Roman amphitheatres providing a classical connection and an air of respectability to the Theatrical profession. The Boars Head was extremely quick to build, approximately 6 months, requiring only cheap building materials it therefore increased profits for the theatre at least five-fold.

Description of The Theatre amphitheatre
The Boars Head was described as an Elizabethan Amphitheatre which was octagonal or circular in shape having between 8 and 24 sides. The open air arena of the amphitheatre was called the 'pit' or the 'yard'. The stage of the amphitheatre projected halfway into the 'pit'. The Boars Head had a raised stage at one end which was surrounded by three tiers of roofed galleries with balconies overlooking the back of the stage.

Facts and Information about the Amphitheatre styled Elizabethan Theatres
Interesting general facts and information about the amphitheatre venue such as the Boars Head:

• Building materials used in the construction of early Elizabethan Theatres were timber, nails, stone (flint), plaster with thatched roofs
• The 'Box ' and the 'Box Office' - Playgoers put 1 penny in a box at the Elizabethan theatre entrance. At the start of the play the admission collectors put the boxes in a room backstage called the box office.
• The owners of the theatre were called the 'Housekeepers'
• There was no heating in the Elizabethan Theatre. Plays were performed in the summer months and transferred to the indoor playhouses during the winter
• Lighting in the Elizabethan Theatre - Natural lighting as plays were produced in the afternoon. However there was some artificial lighting mainly intended to provide atmosphere for night scenes
• Only very rich women, who often wore masks, or women of dubious morals attended the amphitheatres
• A selection of ropes & rigging would allow for special effects, such as flying or dramatic entries
• The floor of the Stage was made of wood, sometimes covered with rushes. Trap doors in the floor would enable some additional special effects such as smoke

The Boars Head

The Boars Head was used as a venue for Elizabethan plays, replacing the Inn-yard venues.
The  purpose built Elizabethan Amphitheatres in London such as the Boars Head
were used during the summer months and transferred to the
indoor playhouses during the winter.