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Shakespeare & Beyond

Globe-al dominance: The rise in reconstructed Globe theatres

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Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is the most recognizable early modern playhouse and, as a result, the subject of numerous reconstructions and reimaginings. Currently there are more than fifteen reconstructions, with more being built. The last few years have seen a rise in ‘modernized reconstructions’ (or ‘modconstructions’) across the world.

The interest in replicating early modern theatrical spaces can be traced back to 1790, when Edmond Malone researched original playing conditions for Shakespeare’s theatre using Phillip Henslowe’s previously unseen papers. In 1897 William Poel drew plans for what he hoped would become a full-scale reconstruction. Unfortunately, the reconstruction did not go ahead as planned and the earliest (half-sized) replica Globe was built in 1912 by Edwin Lutyens for the ‘Shakespeare’s England’ exhibition at Earls Court, in London. The exhibition also contained Poel’s 1:24 scale model built from his plans.1

One of the most famous and influential replicas is Sam Wanamaker’s Globe, built in 1997 on the Southbank in London. Wanamaker, an American, credited his acting experience as a teenager on a replica Elizabethan stage at the Cleveland Great Lakes Festival as the beginning of his decades-long journey toward reconstructing the outdoor playhouse.

The historical aesthetics of the reconstructed spaces offer audiences the chance to enjoy the ‘Shakespeare experience’. They speak to global audiences in a shared language, revealing a fascination with early modern Britain. Aside from the famous London reconstruction, a visit to the Globe theatre can now take place in Germany, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, and the number of reconstructions and adaptations continues to grow. The motives for the replicas, and their funding differs for each site. The Italian theatre, for example, was built in the Villa Borghese gardens as part of a twinning project with London in 2003. Funding came from the Silvano Toti Foundation, which focuses on the growth of arts and culture in Rome. Frequently, the spaces are the result of the passion of an individual – like Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

  1. Marion O’Connor, ‘Useful in the year 1999 William Poel and Shakespeare’s build of stage’ Shakespeare Survey Vol. 52, (2003) p17-31

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