We got to go to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. It is an exact replica of the Globe theatre that Shakespeare’s plays were performed in in the 16th and 17th century. We saw Mother Courage and Her Children and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Both times, I was able to stand directly at the bottom of the stage. It felt so cool to stand there and watch these plays. I imagined myself being back in time in Shakespeare’s day watching these productions. I wanted to be up on stage with the actors! In fact, I actually was at some point. I got invited on stage twice during Midsummer to “audition” and do a dance. That was pretty cool! Now I can say I have performed on the Globe theatre stage. I wonder what it was like to be an actor during that time. How much time was given to learn the part? How much thought did actors put into their characters?
I have seen two productions of a midsummer nights dream. This one at the globe, and then at the theatre at the University of Arkansas that I ran follow spot for. The differences were pretty huge. The one at the university was of course in a completely different theatre and setting. But just the difference in the stage changes the production a lot. The production in the globe was very audience interactive. The audience sang along and was talked to. My friend Lucy said that Shakespeare’s plays were meant for the people, and this production achieved that. It was for the people. I left the show in such a good mood. It was such a feel-good experience. I definitely feel that it was performed like this, or in this fashion I mean, in Shakespeare’s day. I just really loved this production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was absolutely fantastic, and I definitely think it achieved what Shakespeare was going for.
Theatre in London U of A 