Halls that are indoors The stage was on one of the short sides of these rectangles. The audience sat either directly in front of the stage, which had the most costly seats, or in galleries that stretched around the other three sides of the space. Candles and torches were used to light these playhouses. They could be as simple or luxurious as you wanted them to be. Halls that are outdoors The theater was open air. Audiences stood or sat outside while actors performed for them from within a canvas tent or booth. These were usually built near towns so people could walk to see the show. Halls that are between indoor and outdoor The theater was half covered - some call this style indoor/outdoor while others refer to it as semi-indoor. A roof covered only part of the theater, leaving the rest of the space under canvas. Actors often worked in small groups of less than five people to save money. Sometimes there were two different shows going on at once - one inside the coverted section of the hall and one outside it. Halls that are round or polygonal The actors usually didn't have much room to move around on stage. There were no sets and they acted out scenes from life. There were sometimes masks or costumes but not always. Masks were used to hide an actor's identity when necessary - for example if he/she was not supposed to talk about something private.