The Globe Theatre

Lets start with its history:

• The Globe Theatre is situated in London, England. 

• It is often associated with William Shakepeare as many of his plays were performed there.

• The Lord Chamberlain's Men created the theatre in 1599. 

• It was lost in a fire when a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII ignited the thatched roof of the gallery in 1613. 

• The theatre was re-built on the same grounds due to it's popularity in June 1614, but this was closed down in 1642.

• A theatre built in memory of the theatre was opened in 1997 near the original site, and was named "Shakespeares Globe".

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The Original Globe was built like the Coliseum in Rome, but smaller, it still could have an audience of over 1500 people and was an impressive theatre to work in. It was made completely open and the majority of the audience would stand and this made the theatre cheaper as the only people who would sit were the rich and the seats were actually placed above the stage.

Different coloured flags would have been used outside the Globe to show the type of play that was to be performances.

• A black flag was used for a tragedy.
• A white flag would show that a comedy was to be performed.
• A red flag advertised a history.

This Theatre was made famous by Shakespeare but the theatre itself was and is extremely impressive, made of mostly timber the area picked so that the performances could be performed during the day while the light was lighting up the entire area.

This link explains alot about the structure of the old Globe Theatre if you would like to learn more:

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-globe-theatre-structure.htm

Ancient Greek Theatre

All over the world, different types of theatre have developed, 

In ancient Greece, plays were performed by all male amateur actors. Most Greek theatres were made so that sound could travel to all the seats in the area but the actors still had to over emphasise their gestures and speak in very loud voices so the the sound would transfer enough for the story to be heard and seen clearly throughout the theatre.

The building for theatre was called a theatron, normally openly constructed and on a sloping hill and contained three main areas; the audience, the skene, and the orchestra.
The skene is what we would consider to be a backstage area. It is a large building behind the orchestra. It began as a simple tent but soon became stone and this is where people could change their costumes or masks for different scenes in the play. This building sometimes even became part of the scenery or allowed for special effects in the more advanced theatres.
Greek theatre has greatly influenced modern day theatre and performance techniques. So much so that some of their theatres are still counted among the best in the world and are continuing to hold performances on a regular basis.

This is a short segment from the Discovery Channel's 'Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece.' About The Theatre Of Epidaurus.