During our time here in London we have gotten a great opportunity to see not one, but two shows at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre! The first was Mother Courage by Brecht and the second was A Midsommer’s Night Dream by Shakespeare himself! I thought both shows were heavily geared toward audience interactions by breaking the fourth wall several times which I believe would have been very popular back in the 16th/17th century during Shakespeare’s day. I even was allowed on stage with several others to “audition” with a dance for the show they were performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
My viewing experience at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre consisted of standing the entire time in the front row with my eye level at the actor’s feet, which allowed me an interesting view for the shows. Throughout the shows, I would forget about how bad my feet were hurting and become fully immersed in the production, especially A Midsommer Night’s Dream. I can imagine how the actors and audience must have filled the stage, seats, and yard in the past and how similar it must have felt compared to my own experience.
The shows that were put on here would have differed if we were to watch them in America with how much less contemporary, they were. One thing that I thought was different from how they used to put on shows in Shakespeare’s day was the experience of watching the shows was better if you got a seat and were watching it from a distance rather than standing up close. Through my experience, standing was the best place to be for these shows. The actors could interact with you and even pull you on stage if you’re lucky enough. If I were to have a sitting spot during either of the shows, I would not have had the special experience that I did!
Theatre in London U of A 