Shakespeare's theater "Globe". One of the oldest theaters in London: history

Shakespeare's theater "Globe" is considered one of the most famous not only in the UK, but also in Europe. Today it is not only a famous cultural institution where you can see the performances of famous directors and watch the performance of the stars of the world theater scene, but it is one of the most famous sights of London.

Prehistory

It all started with the fact that in 1576 the first public London theater was built in Shoredich, which everyone simply called "The Theater". It belonged to James Burbage, who worked as a carpenter in his youth, but later became an actor and gathered his own troupe. This theater existed until 1597, when the owner of the land on which he stood, demanded to vacate the site or pay him a double rent . Then the sons of the owner of the establishment - Richard and Cuthbert - decided to establish a new institution on the other bank of the Thames and transported there on rafts the dismantled wooden structures of the scene - the beam behind the beam.

The first "Globe"

The construction of the new theater lasted 2 years. As a result, the heirs of Berbage became owners of half the building and took 50 percent of the shares of the new institution. As for the remaining securities, they divided them among several of the most famous members of the old troupe, one of whom was the actor and author of most of the plays that make up the Globe repertoire - William Shakespeare.

The new theater lasted only 14 years, during which the premiere of almost all works written by the great playwright was held there. The "Globe" enjoyed incredible popularity, and among the spectators it was often possible to see important nobles and aristocrats. One day, when the play "Henry VIII" was on the stage, the theater gun went down, which caused the burning of the thatched roof, and the wooden building burned to the ground for hours. Fortunately, no one but one viewer who received light burns suffered, but Shakespeare's Globe Theater, considered one of the most famous institutions of its kind in England of that time, was destroyed.

History from 1614 to 1642

Soon after the fire the theater was rebuilt on the same place again. However, to date, researchers have no common opinion on whether William Shakespeare participated in the financing of the new project. As the playwright biographers note, during this period he had great health problems, and it is quite possible that he gradually began to withdraw from the affairs. Be that as it may, Shakespeare passed away on April 23, 1616, while the second theater existed until 1642. It was then that the Globe was closed, and its troupe dissolved, because in England a civil war broke out, and the Puritans who came to power achieved the prohibition of any entertaining activities as not conforming to Protestant morality. After 2 years, the building of the theater was completely demolished, thus freeing up the place for the construction of residential apartment buildings. At the same time, the buildings were built so tightly that there was not even a trace of the existence of the Globus Theater.

Excavations

Great Britain is known as a country where for the past 500 years they have been very attentive to documents and archives. Therefore, it is very strange that until the late 80s of the last century, no one could say the exact place where Shakespeare's famous Globus theater was located in the 17th century. Light on this question was shed by archaeological excavations, made in 1989 in the parking lot Anchor Terrace, located on Park Street. Then the scientists managed to find parts of the foundation and one of the towers of the "Globe". According to scientists, in this area today it would be worthwhile to continue searching for new fragments of the theater complex. However, research is not possible, since the monuments of the 18th century are located nearby, which, under British law, can not be analyzed.

What was the building of the theater in Shakespeare

The size of the second "Globe" is still not known for certain, but scientists could restore its plan with great accuracy. In particular, they managed to establish that it was built in the form of a three-tier open amphitheater with a diameter of 97-102 feet, which could simultaneously accommodate up to 3 thousand spectators. It was initially believed that this structure was round, but excavations of part of the foundation showed that it resembled an 18- or 20-gable and had at least one tower.

As for the internal arrangement of the "Globe", the elongated proscenium reached the middle of the open courtyard. The scene with the hatch, from where the actors came out if necessary, was 43 feet wide, 27 feet long and was raised above the ground to a height of about 1.5 meters.

Spectator places

The description of the theater "Globus", which has survived to this day, testifies to the fact that quite comfortable lodges for the aristocracy were located along the wall on the first tier. Over them, galleries were built for wealthy townspeople, and less well-off, but respected Londoners and young people, who had money, watched the performance, sitting on the ground, located directly on the stage. There was also a so-called pit in the theater, where poor people were allowed to pay for viewing the presentation of 1 penny. Interestingly, this category had a habit of eating nuts and oranges during theatrical performances, so piles of shell fragments and citrus seeds were found during the excavation of the Globe foundation.

The wings and places for musicians

Above the rear part of the stage was erected a roof supported by massive columns. Beneath it at a distance in human growth was a ceiling with a hatch, painted with clouds, from where, if necessary, the actors could go down on the ropes, depicting deities or angels. There, during the performances, there were working scenes that either lowered or raised the scenery.

Because of the scenes, where the members of the troupe changed their clothes and where they watched the performance in anticipation of their exit, two or three doors led to the stage. The balcony was adjacent to the wings, where the musicians of the theatrical orchestra sat down, and in some performances, for example, during the production of Romeo and Juliet, it was used as an additional platform on which the action of the play took place.

Shakespeare's "Globe" today

England is considered one of the countries whose contribution to world drama is difficult to overestimate. And today the famous, including the historical, theaters of London, of which there are more than a dozen, do not suffer from a lack of spectators throughout the season. Of particular interest is the third "Globe", as its visit is akin to a kind of time travel. In addition, tourists are attracted by the interactive museum operating with it.

In 1990, the idea arose to revive the English theater "Globe". And the project director, the well-known American director and actor Sam Wenamaker, insisted that the new building be built in such a way as to resemble the original as much as possible. Reviews of tourists who have already attended the performances of the Globus Theater, show that a fairly large team of famous architects, engineers and consultants engaged in the project of the revival of one of the most famous cultural institutions in the history of London, it was possible to the fullest. They even covered the roof with straw, having saturated it with fireproof composition, although such building material in the British capital has not been used for more than 250 years. The opening took place in 1997, and for about 18 years there you can see performances of many Shakespeare plays with original scenery and costumes. And, as under the reign of Jacob the First and Charles the First, there are no artificial lighting in the theater and performances are held only in the afternoon.

Performances

As already mentioned, the basis of the repertoire of the revived "Globe" is the plays of William Shakespeare. Especially popular are such performances as "The Taming of the Shrew," "King Lear," "Henry IV," "Hamlet," and others that play as they did in the 17th century. For the sake of justice, it must be said that not all Shakespearean traditions have survived in the modern "Globe". In particular, female actors today are actors, not young actors, as was done 250 years ago.

Most recently, the theater came with tours to Russia and brought the production of the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Not only Muscovites, but also residents of Ekaterinburg, Pskov and many other cities of our country could see it. The responses of the Russians were more than admired, even though most viewers listened to the text in simultaneous translation, which could not but interfere with the holistic perception of the actors' play.

Where to find and how to get there

Today, Shakespeare's Globe Theater is located at: New Globe Walk, SE1. The easiest way to get there by metro is to reach Cannon St station, Mansion House. Since the building is partially roofless, it is possible to become a spectator at the performance of the Globus Theater only from May 19 to September 20. At the same time, throughout the year, excursions are organized around the building, allowing you to see not only the stage and the auditorium, but also how the scenery and backstage are arranged. Also, tourists are shown costumes made according to sketches of the 17th century and ancient theater props. The price for visiting the theater as a museum of Shakespeare's theatrical art is 7 pounds for children and 11 pounds for adults.

Now you know the history of the theater "Globe", and also you know how to get there and what performances you can see there.