Images of The Globe Theatre in London
This section is dedicated to sharing the pictures we took at the Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London. The original Globe Theatre was burned to the ground in 1613, when a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. The company completed a new Globe on the foundations of its predecessor before Shakespeare's death. It continued operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down (and all the other theatres, as well as any place, for that matter, where people might be entertained). Puritans razed the building two years later in 1644 to build tenements upon the premises. The Globe would remain a ghost for the next 352 years.
The foundations of the Globe were rediscovered in 1989, rekindling interest in a fitful attempt to erect a modern version of the amphitheater. Led by the vision of the late Sam Wanamaker, workers began construction in 1993 on the new theatre near the site of the original. The latest Globe Theatre was completed in 1996; Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the theatre on June 12, 1997 with a production of Henry V. The Globe is as faithful a reproduction as possible to the Elizabethan model, seating 1,500 people between the galleries and the "groundlings." In its initial 1997 season, the theatre attracted 210,000 patrons.
For more information, you can visit the Shakespeare's Resource Center website or the Shakespeare's Globe Organization's website.
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The ceiling of the theatre. So colorful! |
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Tourists galore! |
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Did we decapitate the tourists? |
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People used to watch performances while standing up. The galleries were the expensive seats. The rest of the world simply stood in the courtyard. Oh, and there were no rest rooms! Once the performance started, you were on your own . . . |
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Aren't those columns lovely? |
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Detail of the columns. |
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Outside view of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. |
* All images copyright Robert Capozello 2003
