Special Effects in the Globe Theatre

How were the special effect made?

Noise of thunder - beat drums offstage or roll a cannonball across the floor of the Heavens over the stage. Some companies or drama plays used thunder machines which was a wooden machine that was placed like see saw. 

Lightning - Lightning flashes were made by throwing a powder made from resin into a candle flame. The machinery for this was called a swevel. They fixed a firecracker to the wire and lit it when they wanted the effect.

Were the Special effect dangerous?

Special effects rarely go wrong but 29th June 1613 they did. The prestigious globe theatre burnt down during a performance of "Henry VIII" a Shakespeare play, this was considered as big news especially in that time as things like this did not happen often.Sulphur has a rotten egg smell, while saltpetre (made from dung) smells bad when mixed up and even worse when set alight. These bad smells caused the actors to struggle to breathe which also led to getting some diseases. the fog and filthy air’ the air inside the theatre may have been horrible to breathe in, if not actually dangerous. Both were used to make gunpowder.

  

 How about spells and magic?

Plays from Shakespeare's time had a lot of influence from spirits. gods, goddesses and they usually entered through a trapdoor from above 'heaven'. The actors/actresses were usually lowered in by a strong wire this process or descending act was called 'flying in'. Obviously for positive and good spirits there are bad spirits (evil spirits, devils) that came up from 'hell', under the stage through a trapdoor. Firecrackers were the normal thing when a devil appeared or witchcraft or magic was used. Dr Faustas (a popular Christopher Marlowe play) had one such production where the devil put firecrackers in their mouth to suggest they were 'breathing fire'. Companies related to theatre used smoke as a magic effect and the best part about smoke was that it could be coloured (depending on what chemicals were used). Real fire was used shrewdly as it could be dangerous to the wood and the globe theatre (fire was why the globe 'burned down'). Flames were rarely needed but if they were needed strong alcohol was mixed with different types of salts depending on what colour of flames were needed.

Here the magical effects are produced by lowering the goddess Cynthia from the trapdoor in the Heavens and raising Night up through the trapdoor in the stage. This was from a 1997 production of The Maid’s Tragedy. 

This modern performance of Macbeth at the Globe in 2010 mostly used effects that would have been available in Shakespeare’s time. Here they used smoke surrounding a huge cooking pot just poking out of the trap for the witches to work magic.

 

Now the Globe theatre Has been restored after being burnt down and it has the modern technology for special effects as the olden times ones were not safe and that everyone who watched or acted was getting affected by the smoke and gun powder that spreads out easily after used. I did not know much about the globe theatre before i did this research but now as i know i know that the globe theatre only has shakespeares plays and nothing else. They have stopped the people who act to put firecrackers in their mouths as health and safety is a major in the U.K.  The magic that was used very dangerous swell because they needed to use alcohol for some of the fire magic which was highly dangerous.

"Playwrights in Shakespeare’s time used language to describe ‘special effects’ much of the time;

but acting companies could also produce very dramatic special effects. Thunder and lightning filled the theatre for storms. There were a variety of effects to suggest magic was at work. Many special effects needed special ingredients. Buying these made a performance more expensive, so special effects were not used all the time."