Staging the Henrician Court : Courtly Space
This page last changed on Dec 07, 2009 by Eleanor Rycroft.
The Great Hall was primarily a space for dining, with food being served twice a day to members of the royal household. However, Great Halls would be transformed at seasonal points or for the visits of dignitaries and ambassadors into a performance space in which spectacular entertainments occurred. The space was mobile in that it allowed performers to both separate from and engage with members of the audience, but also hierarchical in that the status of the audience would descend from the King's table at the dais end to the more lowly members of the household at the screen's end, which led to the kitchens beyond.
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