GLOBE THEATRE

We went to the Globe Theatre on Bankside.  It was opened ten years ago and stands near where the original sixteenth century Globe Theater was, here in London’s Southwark district.

The original Globe which was built in 1576 and rebuilt  in 1613 after a fire (during a performance when a cannon ignited the thatched roof).  It was demolished after the Puritan Administration closed all the theatres in 1642.  We saw the original site — it was demolished then to make room for tenements; now there are nicer apartments there.

The design and the techniques used in building the new Globe were accurate to the original.  Green oak was cut according to the practice then; oak laths and staves support lime plaster mixed according to original recipes.  The roof is made of reed thatch, based on samples found in excavation of the original theatre.                               

It was interesting to learn that an American director and producer, Sam Wanamaker, initiated the rebuilding project after his first visit to London in 1949.  It took a long time to get the funding and finish the project.  It’s under a trust now and does all kinds of educational theatre activities as well as its performances.

We saw  Shakespeare’s comedy "Love’s Labor’s Lost".  It was easy to imagine, in these surroundings, how it would have been for people at the original theatre to enjoy such a performance.  It’s a little bit raucous and it’s funny.   

  Here are pictures of the musicians who played before the play started and in intermission.    The people standing around the stage have cheap tickets — but by standing, they are closer to the action, just like the "groundlings" were in Shakespeare’s time.   We chose the second level though — we had a great view — and we could sit down.