There were many other things different about the stages of the past. The platform itself jutted out into the audience and was surrounded by the Groundlings. These were the lower-class audience members who paid the least to get in and stood on the ground around the stage. The higher class citizens sat in the seats above the ground against the walls of the theatre. The higher-class the audience member was, the higher their seat was. Many theatres were round and had no roof in the center. Because they used natural sunlight, plays had to be given in the afternoon. And if it rained, the higher class citizens were protected by an overhang, but for the Groundlings--too bad! They had to watch the play while standing in mud!

      The stage had no curtain to open and close, and no machinery or moveable scenery as we have now. At the rear of the stage was a balcony that could be used as the upper deck of a ship, as a second floor, or even as a balcony! A trap door in the stage was used as an entrance for ghosts and devils, and a trap over the stage, known as "the heavens," made it possible to let angels down on a rope. Because there was no curtain, plays had to be written so that all the actors could exit at the end of a scene or act.