Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe is a theatre and cultural venue on Bankside in London. The present-day Globe Theatre opened in 1997 and is a modern reconstruction of an Elizabethan open-air theatre. The space is open, built of wood and surrounded by galleries. The theatre holds 1,570 people; some audience members stand in the open yard close to the stage. Shakespeare’s Globe also includes the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a covered, candlelit theatre, as well as educational and visitor experiences. Today, the site is therefore at once a performance venue, a piece of theatre history and a cultural institution.

The name Globe can refer to different things. The historic Globe Theatre opened in 1599 and was associated with the acting company for which William Shakespeare wrote and in which he had a stake. The building visitors see today on Bankside is a reconstruction that opened in 1997. Centuries, several buildings and a rebuilding project lie between the two. It is therefore inaccurate to describe the present-day theatre as Shakespeare’s original Globe.

The operator distinguishes between the historic Globe, today’s Globe Theatre, and Shakespeare’s Globe as an organisation or site with several performance spaces. These terms help put the present-day stage in its proper context. The current theatre draws on historical models, but cannot fully recreate the past. Reconstruction means a carefully researched interpretation of the building’s form and performance conditions, not the unchanged continuation of a 16th-century building.

The Globe Theatre has no roof over its central yard. Its open design means that the weather is part of the experience. The audience sits in galleries around the stage or stands in the yard close to the performers. The operator describes this physical closeness as an essential part of the performance setting. Unlike in a closed proscenium theatre, the division between stage and audience is less pronounced; the spectators are seen and heard as a community.

This format influences the choice of performance. The open-air theatre calls for clothing suited to changing weather conditions. The operator notes that performances and tours can take place in a range of weather. Specific admission, ticketing and seating arrangements, however, depend on the performance. For visitors, the building’s design is an important factor when choosing between the Globe Theatre and covered venues.

The Globe’s reconstruction is closely associated with Sam Wanamaker, an American actor and director. He visited London in 1949 and found that the historic site of the Globe was marked only by a small plaque. In 1970, he began working towards a reconstruction near the original Bankside site and founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust. The project took many years to secure land, permissions and funding. Wanamaker died in 1993, before the theatre was completed; the present-day stage opened in 1997.

The reconstruction is based on the 1599 theatre and is a modern interpretation of its historic form. The building uses oak, lime plaster and a thatched roof. Special permission was required for the thatched roof because regulations against thatched roofs in the city had been introduced after the Great Fire of London. These details bring together craftsmanship, the idea of historic preservation and modern building practice. They show that today’s Globe is a construction and cultural project of its own time, designed to make historical performance conditions tangible.

The Globe does not stage only Shakespeare’s plays. The institution describes a programme featuring works by other Renaissance writers, new writing, music, family events, workshops, film screenings and educational activities. This breadth makes the venue an active cultural centre, not just a museum of the Shakespearean era. A visit may include a performance, a tour or an educational activity; which formats are available depends on the current programme.

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse complements the open-air stage with an enclosed, candlelit space inspired by Jacobean indoor theatres. The two venues offer different relationships between audience and performance. The Globe Theatre is open and more spacious; the Playhouse is covered and more intimate. This distinction is useful for visitors choosing between a weather-dependent open-air performance and an indoor venue.

At the Globe, the architecture is inseparable from the theatre-going experience. The open stage and surrounding galleries make visible how many perspectives come together in one space. Those standing in the yard experience the performance differently from those in a gallery. Seating, standing areas and available facilities depend on the event and the booking.

Tours introduce visitors to the building’s history and the space’s distinctive features, independently of the evening programme. They cover the reconstruction, traditional materials, the shape of the stage and the historical relationship between performers and audience. Its enduring distinction is that a visit takes place in an open, historically informed theatre space.

When did the present-day Globe Theatre open?

The present-day Globe Theatre opened in 1997. Workshops and performances had already taken place on the stage in 1995.

What does “open-air theatre” mean at the Globe?

The central yard has no roof. Audience members stand or sit in galleries around the stage, so the weather is part of the performance experience.

Is Shakespeare’s Globe the same as the Globe Theatre?

Shakespeare’s Globe refers to the institution or site, which has several performance spaces. Globe Theatre is the name of the present-day reconstructed open-air stage; the historic Globe was an earlier theatre.

• The Globe Theatre and performance tradition