ABSTRACT
The concept of the "bare stage" for the Shakespearean period is a cliche that needs cautious handling. The chief question about the early stages was how many entry-ways there were from the frons scenae. The only drawing of a frons that the authors have is of the Swan playhouse. It shows two double doors, which is presumably what the Swan's stage offered its actors for their entrances. The frontispiece of Nathanael Richards' Messalina shows two painted cloths behind the players, facing the audience. Each has a figure sketched on it, plus clouds or trees, with a single opening between the two hangings. Some scholars think the Messalina vignette is so similar to the Roxana that it might be a copy of its predecessor. Disguise, that most obviously theatrical device, was one of the most common tricks in early drama, simply as a change of costume.
