(The Tempest & As You Like It)
Shakspeare's Globe T
heatre was reconstucted in London and reopened to the public in 1996. It is not on the original site (moving boundaries of the Thames, changing structural landscape around the Southbank, etc) as it would have been in Shakespeare's time, but it is close. The original Globe Theatre burnt down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII when a cannon was set off from the roof gallery. Located on the South side of the Thames specifically (out of the reach of the Puritans of the day who would have closed all theatres down) opposite the majestic St Paul's Cathedral, this theatre has become a temple for all Shakespeare lovers. The Puritans did eventually get their hands on the Globe in 1644, and it was pulled down to make room for housing. Fastforward to the 20th Century, when the project had to obtain special permission to have a thatched roof installed after they were outlawed in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London in 1666. Since it's reopening in 1996, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has pride of place on the Thames, flag flying high during the season which runs from April through to October. This year I was priviliged enough to be a part of the season.I'd say the Globe is a must-see destination for tourists to London (also, did you know that London attracts more tourists every year than New York, Paris and Sydney put together?! Kudos to my capital!). By the looks of it, many visitors to my home agree, because the vast amounts of people who come to see the theatre, and come to see the plays, as well as the largest exhibition on Shakespeare in the world, is truly phenomenal. Whenever I have visitors I am always sure to take them there. Just goes to show how global and important Shakespeare has become. A great Englishmen indeed. The nearest railway/underground station to the Globe (in my opinion anyway, not sure if it actually is geographically, but this saves crossing the river) is London Bridge. And the walk from London Bridge to the theatre is truly charming on a beautiful day like today. Once you have come out of the station and crossed the main junction at London Bridge, head across Southwark Cathedral's courtyard. Southwark is evidently not the biggest or most famous religious structure in London (and who can argue with that when Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are its competition?!) but it is a lovely traditional Church and still imposes on it's surroundings. Alternatively, you could go down the steps and around Southwark Cathedral, therefore skirting Borough Market. Borough Market is somewhere I hope to explore more over the next couple of years, but what I have seen of it seems intriguing. Once you leave the cathedral grounds, turn right and follow signs for the Globe. This will bring you to the Golden Galleon; a brilliant reconstruction of Francis Drake's ship, the great Elizabethan explorer. You can take guided tours of the vessel, and since the destruction of the Cutty Sark a couple of years ago it is one of the best historical ships to see in London. Go down the passageway past the ruins bedraggled ruins of a palace which I have never stopped to read about (terrible I know) and past the Clink Prison museum on your left. I've always thought that museum looked a lot of fun, if it truly is a real reconstruction of a medieval prison. I get the feeling the London Dungeon steals the interested tourists away though. There always used to be a skeleton hanging in a cage above the archway which you walk through once past the Clink Prison, but when I was there today it was gone! At the end of the tunnel turn right, past the usual chain restaurants and the quintessential English pub (perhaps nice for a drink on a summer's day by the river, but always noisy and a throughway for tourists). Walk along the river and under the bridge, and please pause to view the lovely engraving depicting the frozen Thames.
Continue on along the river, past a few restaurants, and within 2 minutes you will have reached the Globe Theatre. The large glass doors are the shop and foyer entrance, as well as the Box Office. If you continue a few paces further along the river, you will come to what is know as the Groundling Gates. The metalwork on these gates is truly sensational, with numerous little characters and charming flowers adorning the ironwork. If the gates are open, step in and behold, an Elizabethan theatre. If you want to learn more about Shakespeare, and the construction of the Globe Theatre, a few metres beyond the Groundling Gates along the river is the Exhibition and Guided Tours entrance; well worth doing if you want to get inside the theatre. I would love to tell you endless anecdotes about this wondrous place, but unfortunately we have reached the end of my knowledge.
I have spent the last 3 months volunteering at the Globe Theatre as a Steward. The Theatre doesn't receive any funding from the government, and in the interests of keeping the experience of the Globe as authentic as possible, the company has tried to keep tickets to a very low price. There are few other theatres in the world where you can experience productions of the calibre displayed here for as little as £5 for a standing ticket. If you're willing to brave the unpredictable English weather - the continuing bane of the theatre's front of house team! Anyway, with this in mind, the company cannot afford to pay numerous ushers, and would need to employ far more than in a usual theatre because of the unusual design and obviously the materials (wooden... thatched roof...). Every year, a group of about 500 people of all ages (although I have noted many are probably retired) dedicate some of their evenings and afternoons to working at this theatre; checking tickets, showing people to their seats, maintaining a pleasant atmosphere during the perfomances, selling programmes, but, more than anything, lapping up the Shakespeare!
There's nothing better than standing inside that theatre and watching the Bard's work, for free, because you're willingly giving up your time to be there. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. This season, I was lucky enough to see a fabulous production of Much Ado About Nothing, a charming rendition of All's Well That Ends Well, a thought-provoking Doctor Faustus (by Marlowe of course, not Shakespeare) and the Globe Mysteries (not ghost stories, but Bible stories in middle aged Yorkshire dialect... an acquired taste!). I only saw 4 out of 9 productions this season but they were all fantastic. I've signed up to do it again next year because I think the Globe is a really great thing to be a part of. I know some people don't like Shakespeare but I honestly think if more people came to watch the plays, rather than just read them and analysed them at school, they'd see how the clever written word translates onto the stage to evoke more emotions than one thought possible in one play. It may be complex and occasionally ridiculous, but these works are truly timeless, and they wouldn't be studied and admired all over the world if they weren't worth it. My first trip to the Globe was with my school (they have a wonderful Education centre at the theatre also) but my friends took me there for my 18th birthday to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, and from that day on I knew I wanted to contribute to the project.
If you want a true taste of English culture, something that has lasted centuries and still entertains the best part of half a million people every year, then visit the Globe Theatre.
