What is another word for groundlings?
Pronunciation: [ɡɹˈa͡ʊndlɪŋz] (IPA) 
Groundlings is a term used to describe people who stand or sit in the cheap seats in an open-air theatre or at the front of a hall. Synonyms for groundlings include rabble, plebeians, and riffraff. Other synonyms include the populace, the common people, the working class, the masses, and the hoi polloi. In Shakespeare's plays, the groundlings were known to be noisy and rowdy, and it was not uncommon for them to heckle the performers on stage. However, despite their reputation for being disruptive, the groundlings were an important audience for the theatre because they made up the largest segment of the audience and allowed for performances to be financially sustainable.
