What were the different ticket costs to go to a play in Shakespeare’s time?
Prices of admission depended on the kind of theater. Outdoor theaters like the Globe charged—in the early days—one penny ($1.66) to get in and another penny if you wanted to sit in the balconies. (A penny equals about $1.66 by today’s standards. Other equivalents are also in current US dollars.) By the early seventeenth century, they probably charged a flat sixpence (about $10) to get in. Admission to the private indoor theaters, which catered to a more affluent audience, generally began at a basic sixpence to gain entry to the galleries. Fancy gallants who wanted to be seen, however, could sit on the stage for two shillings ($40), and a box could be had for half-a-crown ($50).
