Globe Theatre (London)

The name Globe Theatre, as a rule, is associated with one of the three theatres in London:

1. The original Globe Theatre, built in 1599 – on the means of playing company the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, of which Shakespeare was a member, – and which was destroyed by fire on June 29 of 1613.

2. The Globe Theatre, which was rebuilt in June of 1614 (when Shakespeare had already left London for Stratford) and existed until 1642.

3. The modern (restored according to some descriptions and remains of the foundation uncovered during excavations) building of The Globe Theatre, which was opened in 1997. The building is rebuilt 200 meters away from the theatre’s original location site.

Until 1642, the company the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, under the direction of tragic actor Richard Burbage performed at this theatre. Many of Shakespeare’s plays were staged here for the first time.

The Globe was owned by many actors, all of whom (except one) were also share-holders of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Two of six share-holders of the Globe, Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert Burbage, possessed double portions of the shares – holding 25% each. Other four actors: Shakespeare, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, and Thomas Pope had single shares, or 12.5%. (Originally William Kempe was intended to be the seventh partner, but he sold out his share to the four minority sharers, leaving them with more than the originally planned 10%). These initial proportions changed over time as new sharers were added. Shakespeare’s share diminished from 1/8 to 1/14, or roughly 7%, over the course of his career.

The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre (the first public London theatre), which had been built by Richard Burbage’s father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The Burbages originally had a 21-year lease of the site on which The Theatre was built. In 1598, the owner of the land, on which The Theatre was built, raised the rent. The Burbages dismantled The Theatre beam by beam and transported it to the Thames to reconstruct it as The Globe Theatre.

In July of 1613, the Globe Theatre burned down during a perfomance of Henry the Eighth.

A theatrical cannon, which was supposed to fire during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. According to one of the few surviving descriptions of the event, no one was hurt except a man whose burning breeches (or culottes) were put out with a bottle of ale.

Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe, restored after the fire of 1614, was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. Two years later, it was pulled down to make room for tenements. The precise location of the building however, remained unknown until a small part of the foundations was discovered in 1989 beneath the car park at the rear of Anchor Terrace on Park Street (the shape of the foundations is now replicated on the surface). There may be other remains of the theatre beneath Anchor Terrace, but since it is a listed historic building of the 18^th century, no further excavations can be done by archeologists.

The Globe’s actual dimensions are unknown, but its shape and size can be approximated from scholarly inquiry over the last two centuries. The evidence suggests that it was a three-storey, open-air surrounded by a high wall amphitheatre 97-102 feet (29.6-31.1 m) in diameter that could house up to 3,000 spectators. The Globe is shown as round on Wenceslas Hollar’s sketch of the building, later incorporated into his engraved “Long View” of London in 1647, when the actual building was not there anymore. However, in 1988–89, the uncovering of a small part of the Globe’s foundation suggested that it was a polygon of 20 (or, maybe, 18) sides.

Along the inner side of the wall of the theatre there were boxes for aristocracy. Above them there were galleries for wealthy citizens. In total, there were three levels of seats. Some privileged spectators were seated right on the stage.

At the base of the stage, there was an area called the pit, (or, harking back to the old inn-yards, yard) where, for a penny, people (the “groundlings,” or modest spectators) would stand on the rush-strewn earthen floor to watch the performance. The groundlings would eat hazel-nuts (or oranges) during the performance – while excavating the Globe in 1989, a thick layer of nutshells was found, pressed into the dirt.

A rectangular stage platform, also known as an ‘apron stage’, thrust out into the middle of the open-air yard. The stage measured approximately 43 feet (13.1 m) in width, 27 feet (8.2 m) in depth and was raised about 5 feet (1.5 m) off the ground. On this stage, there was a trap door for use by performers to enter from the “cellarage” area beneath the stage. There also could be other doors around the stage. The theatre’s stage had no curtain.

Large columns on either side of the stage supported a roof over the rear portion of the stage. The ceiling under this roof was called the “heavens,” and was painted with clouds and the sky. A trap door in the heavens enabled performers to descend (deus ex machina) using some form of rope and harness.

The back wall of the stage had two or three doors on the main level, with a curtained inner stage in the centre, and a balcony above it. The doors entered into the “tiring house” (backstage area) where the actors dressed and awaited their entrances. The balcony housed the musicians and could also be used for scenes requiring an upper space, such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.

Theatre performances were held during daylight, without intermissions and with minimal theatrical scenery.

At the persistent request of American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, a new Globe theatre was built according to a design of Queen Elizabeth’s times. The theatre reconstruction team was composed of architect Theo Crosby of Pentagram, structural and services engineer Buro Happold, quantity surveyors from Boyden & Co. The project’s consultant was Shakespeare’s scholar, professor Andrew Herr. The construction was undertaken by McCurdy & Co. The theatre opened in 1997 under the name “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre” and has staged live plays every summer (May through October). Mark Rylance became the first artistic director in 1995 and was succeeded by Dominic Dromgoole in 2006.

The new theatre on Bankside is approximately 225 yards (205 m) from the original site, measured from centre to centre.

It was the first building with thatched roof, permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666.

Like the original Globe, the modern theatre has a thrust stage that projects into a large circular yard surrounded by three tiers of raked seating. Seven hundred tickets for the standing pit area (one has to stand, it is not allowed to sit down) are made available for every performance at five pounds each. The only covered parts of the amphitheatre are the stage and the seating areas (they are more expensive). In the winter, when the theatre season is closed, the theatre is used for educational purposes. Tours are available all year round.

The reconstruction was carefully researched so that the new building would be as faithful a replica of the original as possible. This was aided by the discovery of the remains of the original Globe Theatre as final plans were being made for the site and structure. The theatre’s modernization included installation of the lighting equipment (performances during Shakespeare’s times were given during day hours), sprinklers on the roof to protect it from fire, and the theater was connected to a modern lobby, visitors’ center, and extensive backstage support areas. According to safety regulations, not more than 1,300 people can be present at the performances, making up an audience less than half the size of a typical audience in Shakespeare’s time, which is believed to be 3,000 people.

Replicas and free interpretations of the Globe have been built around the world:

United States : Ashland, Oregon: OSF Elizabethan Theatre, built in 1935 and rebuilt in 1947 and 1959; San Diego, CA: Old Globe Theatre, built in 1935; Cedar City, Utah: Adams Shakespearean Theatre; Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navigator Pier, built in 1999; Dallas, Texas: Old Globe Theatre, built in 1936; Williamsburg, Virginia: Globe Theatre, built in 1975.

Germany: Neuss am Rhein: Globe Neuss, built in 1991; Rust, Baden, Germany: Europa-Park, built in 2000; Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg.

Italy: Rome: Globe Theatre, built in 2003.

Materials taken from the Internet resource:

http://en.wikipedia.org