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Stratford Upon Avon’s Calling
But Get Thee to the Globe

By Pat Connelly

Ever since 1769 when the famous actor David Garrick put on what he called the Stratford Jubilee, each year, thousands of tourists make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of William Shakespeare to soak in the recreated Elizabethan atmosphere and maybe take in a play while they’re at it. But why? Certainly no play by the great Bard was ever presented there during his lifetime. Shakespeare was born in Stratford but stayed only long enough to get married and propagate, before leaving to work in London. OK, he came back every year and eventually retired there, but his plays came to life in the former London theatre district, on the banks of the Thames river, down by the docks where the prostitutes attracted the largest audience. And the London theatre that became most associated with his work was The Globe.

The Theatre by Any Other Name

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet.

 Romeo and Juliet II, ii. 184-185.

Before the construction of a theatre in Shoreditch in 1576, which was imaginatively called “The Theatre,” plays were put on at inns, the houses of nobles, and when necessary in open fields. Actually, The Theatre was named to draw attention to its resemblance to the classical model of the bowl-shaped center surrounded by tiers of seating used in the Roman amphitheatres such as the Coliseum. When The Theatre’s land lease expired in 1597, the owner took it down and recreated it near another Elizabethan theatre, The Rose, and renamed it The Globe. Shakespeare’s plays were put on in many theatres during his lifetime, but he and his players, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, presided at the Globe.

The Globe Disappears

. . .And like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capp’d tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit shall dissolve,

And like this insubstantial pageant faded

Leave not a rack behind.

The Tempest  IV,. i.148-158

Over a period of about 25 years, Shakespeare created a body of work of undeniable persistent impact. For over 400 years, on all the continents of the world, each generation has reclaimed him, finding his themes, characters, and words still applicable to their own lives. Yet in 1949, when the American actor and Shakespeare lover, Sam Wanamaker made a pilgrimage to the site where literary and theatric history was made, he found – nothing. All evidence of the Globe had disappeared.

Pushy Americans

Oft expectation fails, and most oft there
Where most it promises; and oft it hits
Where hope is coldest, and despair most fits."
All's Well That Ends Well II, i, 145-147

To Wanamaker, this was not acceptable. He set out on what turned out to be a life-long mission to create a monument befitting the Bard – a place to see his plays as they were originally staged,  the Globe Theatre reborn. To raise funds to rebuild the Globe, in 1970 Wanamaker founded the Globe Playhouse Trust. For a very long time, no one believed that Wanamaker’s vision was possible. It took him 20 years, but before he died in 1993, the theatre was substantially on its way to completion. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth in June 1997on the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite Saint Paul’s Cathedral approximately 200 yards from the original site.

Everything Old Is New Again

. . . this most excellent

canopy the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging

firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire. . .

Hamlet I, .ii

Except for exit signs and fire sprinklers, the Globe now is as the Globe then: an open-air theatre surrounded by tiered seating. Plays are staged during the daylight hours and actors make themselves heard with no microphones.

Not only does the theatre look as it did in the sixteenth century, pains were taken to create it in the same way – by hand, using no power tools of any kind. For example, wooden dowels were used instead of nails and 36,000 bricks were made by hand. The thatched roof was created from 6,000 bundles of reed and is the only thatched roof to be created in London since the Great Fire of 1666 when they were outlawed {Shakespeare Figure 5 here}. Twenty-eight-foot high hand-hewn wooden pillars support the stage, painted as they were in the time of Queen Elizabeth to look like marble. {Shakespeare Figure 6 here} My favorite part is the gorgeous ceiling, painted with the sun, moon, and stars to look like the heavens above

The Play’s the Thing

"When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
Macbeth I, i. 1-2

Three thousand people regularly crammed in the original Globe, but the modern theatre goer demands a little more personal space not to mention safety, so the recreation can accommodate approximately 900 seated patrons on unpadded benches, most of which have no backs and 600 standing. The standing audience members are still known as they were in Shakespeare’s time as “groundlings.” Unlike the players and the seated audience the groundlings are exposed to the weather and should come prepared for a little London wet. In the sixteenth century, groundlings paid a penny, and those who wanted to sit paid an extra penny for every tiered section to which they wished to climb. These days, for five pounds, groundlings can watch the world-class performances of the timeless comedies, tragedies, and histories while crowding the stage, eating ice cream, and talking back to the performers. Yes, picnicking is encouraged. What’s more, unlike those seated in the galleries, groundlings are permitted to come and go throughout the performance. Those who prefer to sit will pay 11 to 29 pounds for the privilege and not have nearly the fun. 

From May to September, a professional theatre company presents a roster of plays, mostly but not entirely Shakespeare. Each season’s production schedule has a theme. For 2004 the motif is  “Star-Crossed Lovers” and the presentations will include Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and Measure for Measure.

Tours and Exhibits

You’ve got to be kidding me. I have to watch Shakespeare and I can’t even sit down?

Jim Connelly 3 23 03

If you visit the Globe during the non-Theater season you won’t get to see a play, which may come as good news to your travelling companion if he prefers unmetered entertainment.  You will, however, get a superb tour of the Shakespeare exhibition and the theatre itself for eight pounds (£6.50 for seniors and students; £5.50 for children 2-5 years old).  Tours are conducted every 15 to 30 minutes. During a visit in March, while waiting for the next tour we sat with a well-behaved group of school children and watched a short well-done film presenting the story of the reconstruction. At the appointed hour, a guide came to collect the few of us who were waiting. He took us through the exhibition and shepherded us into one of the theatre galleries, answering all our questions, silly and otherwise. “Yes, some people stand during the entire performance.” No, Queen Elizabeth would never have been at the Globe. The players would have come to her.” An out-of-season actor, he enthusiastically spoke of how honored he had been to perform last season and how regretful he was not to have a part in the coming year. Afterward, he allowed the starstruck among us to walk around and take pictures.

If You Go

I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it –

As You Like It II, iv

Facilities

In addition to the performances, exhibition, and tours, The Globe Education Center presents workshops and evening classes for local students. A Café and Restaurant as well as a Gift Shop are also available on site.

Performances

Tickets for the 2004 theatre season can be ordered starting February 12, 2004 in person, by telephone or fax or mail. Monday to Saturday 10:00-18:00. Telephone: 020 7401 9919; Fax: 020 7902 1475. Instructions for mail order, a list of performances and prices, and a very good virtual seating chart is available on line at www.shakespeares-globe.org

Tours

October to April: 10:00 to 17:00 (closed 12/24 and 12/25); May to September: 9:00 to 12:00 12:30 to 17:00 virtual tours only during performance

Directions

By Train, Tube and Bus: A 10- or 15-minute walk from local train stations and from various stops on the District, Circle, Northern, Jubilee, Central Lines. For stops and bus routes go to www.shakespeares-globe.org

By Car: Not the best idea: Parking is very scarce.

By Cab: Free telephone outside the box office to a minicab service, short walk to cab stands: Southwark Bridge and Tate Modern Museum

Figure credits

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) engraved by the Flemish artist Martin David Garrick (1717-1779) as Richard III.

Reproduced from the painting by William Hogarth at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

For more information about David Garrick and Stratford, go to www.sirbacon.org/links/dg.htm

Droeshout; from the title page to the first folio edition of Shakespeare's works (1623).

pconnelly5@hotmail.com

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