Shakespeare’s Globe Guided Tours
Shakespeare’s Globe Guided Tours
- Attraction
- Culture
- Education
- Fun & Entertainment
- Landmark
Surrounded by raucous taverns and animal-baiting pits, the Globe Theatre was the heart of Elizabethan London’s entertainment district. Following two disastrous fires and the gradual westward migration of the entertainment district, the theatre was demolished and forgotten about for centuries.
After decades of campaigning by actor Sam Wanamaker, who upon arrival to London in the 1940s, was disappointed to not to find a more lasting memorial to the renowned playwright. A faithful recreation was built, opening its doors to the public in 1997.
The informative and engaging Globe Exhibition explores the life of William Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, and what life would have been like in Shakespearean England. Tours of the theatre are led by storyteller guides who will bring the story of the theatre to life.
The theatre holds half the capacity of the original, allowing visitors to have more space, despite this, the rich feel of what it was like to be a ‘groundling’ or ‘stinkard’ stood in front of the stage is still very much there. Performances take place at The Globe from late April until early October.
The Globe also now offers performances in the recently opened Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – a candlelit indoor theatre within the Globe’s building, which presents plays in a traditional Jacobean setting.
Key Points
- The current Globe Theatre was built using 1,000 oak trees from English forests and 6,000 bundles of reeds from Norfolk for the thatched roof
- The Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613. A cannon used for a performance of Henry VIII set light to the thatched roof and the fire quickly spread, taking only two hours to burn down
- In addition to actual Shakespearean performances that take place there, the Globe also films its productions for broadcast all over the world
- In the 1997 production of Henry V, the actress playing The Queen of France had to deliver a speech with a pigeon on her head
Location
Shakespeare’s Globe Guided Tours
Shakespeare’s Globe Guided Tours
- Attraction
- Culture
- Education
- Fun & Entertainment
- Landmark
Surrounded by raucous taverns and animal-baiting pits, the Globe Theatre was the heart of Elizabethan London’s entertainment district. Following two disastrous fires and the gradual westward migration of the entertainment district, the theatre was demolished and forgotten about for centuries.
After decades of campaigning by actor Sam Wanamaker, who upon arrival to London in the 1940s, was disappointed to not to find a more lasting memorial to the renowned playwright. A faithful recreation was built, opening its doors to the public in 1997.
The informative and engaging Globe Exhibition explores the life of William Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, and what life would have been like in Shakespearean England. Tours of the theatre are led by storyteller guides who will bring the story of the theatre to life.
The theatre holds half the capacity of the original, allowing visitors to have more space, despite this, the rich feel of what it was like to be a ‘groundling’ or ‘stinkard’ stood in front of the stage is still very much there. Performances take place at The Globe from late April until early October.
The Globe also now offers performances in the recently opened Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – a candlelit indoor theatre within the Globe’s building, which presents plays in a traditional Jacobean setting.
- The current Globe Theatre was built using 1,000 oak trees from English forests and 6,000 bundles of reeds from Norfolk for the thatched roof
- The Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613. A cannon used for a performance of Henry VIII set light to the thatched roof and the fire quickly spread, taking only two hours to burn down
- In addition to actual Shakespearean performances that take place there, the Globe also films its productions for broadcast all over the world
- In the 1997 production of Henry V, the actress playing The Queen of France had to deliver a speech with a pigeon on her head