If you’ve ever caught a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre then we’re sure that you have no trouble imagining the theatre back in 1599 (minus the public urination and squalor, of course).
Despite the fact that the playhouse was reconstructed in 1997, a short distance from Shakespeare’s original theatre, the design that we all know today is still based on the very first construction. The popular theatre therefore still manages to bear the stamp of authenticity for real thespians and Shakespeare fans.
The stalls are wooden and basic, the internal roof is non-existent and with that thatched, timber beamed and whitewashed exterior, the globe looks more like a village cottage than the central London landmark that it is. All in all, it’s probably one of the closest theatrical experiences we will have to Shakespeare’s heyday, and, as anyone who’s visited will testify, it truly does evoke a sense of history through that rough and ready design.
If in school you were treated to a history teacher who brought the past alive in the kind of way kids can relate to, i.e. the gory, gruesome and sordid, then you’ll be well aware of just what theatre conditions meant back when Shakespeare was penning his world famous and curriculum-proof plays. Back when the Globe was constructed the establishment was right in the heart of the more unsavoury corner of London where bear-baiting, prostitution and hard-drinking establishments were commonplace. As Shakespeare’s plays were considered unholy in some of their themes, the theatre was built there, in the dregs of London, as the plays were banished from the city.
Most of the audience would be crammed in front of the main stage, a little like you would expect at a modern day gig, and if the actors didn’t perform, the audience would let loose, with the heckling and rubbish throwing beginning in earnest. As we couldn’t imagine anything as rowdy as these crowds in grand modern day theatres, the Globe manages to really bring that audience spirit to London theatre.
Of course, back then sound was as simple as the actors projecting their voices and lighting was as simple as candlelight, a feature that the globe is looking to revive in its new Jacobean playhouse set to open in January 2014. While theatre-goers looking for an experience from the past will likely relish the idea of a play performed by flickering candlelight, for many the safety implications from open flames along with diminished viewing quality are feared.
In the press coverage that’s hit so far the reviews have been slightly sceptical with a general consensus of ‘how quaint, now bring back the modern design’ flooding the news reports. So, we want to know what you think. Is candlelit theatre potentially dangerous? Will the viewing quality be poor? Or will a little Shakespearean inspiration place more focus on the actors and storyline?
Let us know on Facebook or Twitter and in the meantime, get some stage lighting inspiration for your own space that’s a tad more high-tech…