Old and New

Original

New

In 1599 William Shakespeare and his fellow actors paid for their own playhouse to be built out of the timbers of The Theatre. They called it The Globe and there they staged the first productions of many of Shakespeare's finest plays as well as works by other playwrights, such as Ben Jonson and Fletcher, who took over from Shakespeare as the King's Men's principal playwright when Will retired.

The Rose playhouse was the Globe's greatest rival.

Visit the Globe Playhouse section of our Book Shop for a list of recommended books about the Globe and other playhouses of the time. Many of the books may be bought from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

In 1997 close to the site of the original playhouse, Queen Elizabeth officially opened the new theatre known as Shakespeare's Globe on London's Bankside overlooking the River Thames. It is a faithful reproduction of the original and, was built due to decades of work by the American actor Sam Wanamaker.

The 2012 season, will be the sixteenth season at Shakespeare's Globe. The season's entitled "The Play's The Thing" and comprises four new Shakespeare productions including two by Mark Rylance's 'original practices' company. Rylance will reprise his outstanding portrayal of Olivia in "Twelfth Night" and will also take on the lead role in "Richard III".

Original Globe Playhouse

In 1598 Shakespeare's acting company carried the timbers from the dismantled Theatre across the Thames to Bankside. There they used the timbers as the frame of their new playhouse they called the Globe. In 1613 it burnt down but they again rebuilt it. For more details click on the link.

The building

What we believe the original Globe looked like

The excavation

In 1989 the Museum of London excavated a small section of the Globe's foundations. Here's what they found.

The Rose

The Globe's great rival playhouse, its star Edward Alleyn and owner Philip Henslowe

New Globe Playhouse

The American actor Sam Wanamaker worked hard for decades to make the new Globe a reality, but he didn't live to see it built. Here's the story of how the new Shakespeare's Globe came to be built on London's Bankside in the 1990's

Mike's Views, Reviews and Previews

A list of links to details and my reviews of every season since 1997 at Shakespeare's Globe

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Well Furlong Book Shop

My list of recommended books about the Globe, the Rose and other playhouses of the time may be found in the Globe Playhouse section of the Well Furlong Book Shop . If you so wish, you may go on to buy many of the volumes in our Book Shop directly from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Shakespeare's Globe