Summary
Highlights
The current Globe Theatre is the third of its kind. The original Globe, built in 1598 and opened in 1599, was one of four significant theaters on the South Bank of the River Thames. Its foundations were rediscovered in 1989, about 200 yards from the modern site, and are marked by a plaque.
Theaters were predominantly built on the South Bank (Bankside) as it was the hub for entertainment, including bear baiting, which was popular even with Queen Elizabeth I. Audiences would travel by ferry or over London Bridge to attend plays, which were advertised by raising a flag over the theatre.
The first Globe Theatre, which hosted many of Shakespeare's works, burned down in 1613 due to a cannon misfire during a performance of Henry VIII. The second Globe, built a year later, survived until 1642 when Puritans closed all theaters and subsequently demolished it in 1644 to build tenements.
The third Globe is a faithful reproduction, largely thanks to American Sam Wanamaker's vision. Construction began in 1993, and it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. It features an open-air center, a thatched roof (the first since the Great Fire of London), and walls of Lincolnshire oak and plaster made with sand, lime, and goat hair.
The interior layout is based on a Dutch traveler's sketch of the Swan Theatre. The circular, 20-sided Globe has an open-air 'pit' or 'yard' for standing 'groundlings' (about 1000 people, paying a penny). Galleries seated 2000-3000, costing more. The current Globe seats 900 in galleries and 700 in the pit.
Actors were all men and boys, wearing elaborate costumes. The stage projects halfway into the pit, allowing the audience to surround it. The roof of the stage, called 'the heavens,' is supported by Herculean pillars and painted with celestial images, featuring a trapdoor for special effects. The stage also has a trapdoor for elements like the grave in Hamlet. Above the stage, a balcony was used for musicians or as part of the play's setting, such as in Romeo and Juliet.