Unspecified/General

Shakespeare's Globe, standing on the south bank of the Thames a short distance from the site of the original playhouse, is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air theatre in which many of William Shakespeare's plays were first performed at the turn of the seventeenth century. The original Globe was built in 1599 by the company of players to which Shakespeare belonged, burned down during a performance in 1613 when a cannon set fire to the thatch, was rebuilt, and was finally demolished in the 1640s when the authorities closed the theatres. The modern building owes its existence to the vision and persistence of the American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, who campaigned for decades to recreate the lost theatre, and it opened in 1997, painstakingly constructed using materials and techniques close to those of the original, including the first thatched roof permitted in the city since the Great Fire. The circular timber structure surrounds an open yard where, as in Shakespeare's day, audience members may stand close to the stage as groundlings, exposed to the weather, while others sit in the tiered galleries. Performances aim to capture the atmosphere of the original productions, with natural light, shared energy between actors and audience, and minimal scenery. An adjoining indoor candlelit playhouse and an exhibition on Shakespeare and the theatre complete the site. Tickets for performances and tours can be booked online in advance, and the Globe welcomes visitors throughout much of the year across the seasons of the calendar. Performances at the Globe are unlike those in a conventional theatre, with the open roof admitting daylight and weather, the groundlings standing within touching distance of the actors, and a sense of communal energy that recalls the playgoing of four centuries ago. Beyond Shakespeare's own works, the theatre stages new writing and plays by his contemporaries, and its exhibition and guided tours explore the history of the original playhouse, the Elizabethan theatre world and the painstaking research behind the reconstruction. By recreating the conditions in which the plays were first seen, the Globe offers audiences a rare chance to experience this great body of drama as something living and immediate rather than a museum piece, making it one of the most distinctive cultural attractions in the city throughout much of the year.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 21 New Globe Walk, London, United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 20 7401 9919

Website: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/

Opening Date: 12/06/1997