Juliet on the Balcony - The Upper Stage at Elizabethan Theatres

Abstract

Although the upper stage had existed since the time of innyard acting, the really ingenious use of it did not come out until the 1590s, which coincided with the advent of Shakespeare. Jonathan Bate points out in the introduction to his edition of Titus Andronicus: ‘…the opening scene of the play evinces a mastery of multiple entrances and exits, including use of the “above” stage, that surpasses anything in any previous Elizabethan play.’¹ Actually, the demands for the upper stage at the public playhouses became intense enough at this period to make one of the profit-chasing impresarios, Philip Henslowe, take action.