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SHAKESPEARE'S
GLOBE
The Globe Theater is probably the most important structure in
Shakespeare's dramatic career. Built in 1599 by the Chamberlain's
Company, it stood on the Southern shore of the Thames River in
London. At this time Shakespeare was a member of the Chamberlain's
Company, and therefore he became a shareholder in the theater.
The profits actors made off of their shares was their main means
of support, as it was for Shakespeare. It was not his plays as
some people may think, which were often worth very little and ended
up as property of the acting company.
The Globe was just one of many theaters built in London around
this time. The residents of London were in a frenzy for entertainment,
and in response many theaters for acting, bear baiting, and bull
baiting were built throughout the countryside.
Some of the more famous theaters were The Swan,The Fortune, The
Curtain, The Rose, The Hope, The Queen's College, The King's Theater,
and of course, The Globe. Wealthy individuals were often patrons
of the arts, and would therefore purchase a theater of their own,
or in some cases an acting company may purchase a theater and play
only for selected groups. Some of these theaters located in London
were The Blackfriars I and II, St. Paul's, The Whitefriars, Salisbury
Court, The Cockpit, and Drury Lane.
The Chamberlain's Company, who built the Globe, formed in 1594.
At the time, it was one of only two licensed acting companies in
London. Among the eight actors in the group were Shakespeare and
Richard Burbage, another notable English actor. Of the eight, only
six donated the funds used to build the theater. The Chamberlain's
Company later changed its name to the King's Company when James
took over the English throne.
The Globe was the most important structure to Shakespeare's drama
because most of his plays were written to be performed on the stage
of the Globe. Those plays written by Shakespeare under the context
of performance at the Globe include:
Julius Ceasar |
Twelfth Night |
Measure for Measure |
Hamlet |
Othello |
King Lear |
Macbeth |
Pericles |
Cymbeline |
Antony & Cleopatra |
Prince of Tyre |
The Winter's Tale |
THE STAMFORD GLOBE
Shakespeare on The Green is performed on a scaled
down replica of the Globe Theatre stage. Director / Designer
Peter Barbieri
Jr. C.E.W. felt that this would give the company a unique signature
as well as a challenge in terms of the staging of the plays. For the first season an dedicated group
of volunteers made up of Curtain Call Alumni and members of the
cast of Twelth Night
set forth to build, paint and intstall the 32 foot wide, 24 foot
deep, 20 foot high structure. Constuction began on or about June
8th and only one month later on June 9th at 5:45pm Director Barbieri
raised a single purple penant over the structure declaring, "The
Playhouse is open!"
FUTURE PLANS
For the inaugural season we knew that we would for reasons of budget
and time, only be able to complete the basic structure. It was
enought to get the feel of The Globe and allow Twelfth Night
to reflect a more traditional staging.
The second floor (known as the Musician's Gallery) was represented
by a section of railing. The Heaven's (the flat ceiling between
the roof beams) was installed only in the center section and the
roof was represented only by a flag pole.
With funding and time the future holds great promise for our Globe
and it will be nice to add a little to it every year. Below is
blueprint of the finished Globe.
Click Thumbnail To View Larger Image
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