Permanent theatres were cicular or octagonal. Within the outer walls there were three tiers of roofed galleries, looking down on the stage, and the yard, or "pit", where the poorer spectators, or "groundlings", stood. The "apron stage", projected into the yard, so that when the theatre was full, the players were surrounded on three sides. Over the stage the "shadow" or thatched rooof protected the players from the rain. In the front of the stage there was a trap door used for devilish apparitions and disppearences, and also for burials. The actors' tiring house, the place where the actors changed their costumes, was presumably at the back of the stage. Behind the stage there was an inner stage, wich was demanded for several plays. This inner stage was used not only for discoveries, but also for concealments. Only two methods were avaible: either the body was carried off or else it was hidden at the side of the stage, since the Elizabethan stage had no general stage curtain. There were also an upper stage hidden by a curtain and a balcony normally used by musicians.
