On this trip we have had the distinct privilege of seeing two shows at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. This theatre is so wonderfully unique and magical to experience. With it being an exact replica of the theatre from Shakespeare’s time, the section nearest the stage is for groundlings (people who stand for the duration of the show), and then surrounding the perimeter are three levels of seats in a circular arrangement. I had an understanding of what the theatre looked like going into the show, but I was curious to see what being a groundling was really like. Our group got there early enough to position ourselves right up against the stage for both shows, and being a groundling ended up making for such a special theatre experience. I really didn’t get tired from standing up for that long, and being so close to the actors was an experience like no other. I love the history of groundlings from Shakespeare’s time. The groundling pit was for common folk, and the ticket came with an incredibly cheap ticket price. This option made theatre much more accessible, and I also love that the groundlings get to be the closest to the stage. The experience made me think about theatre at that time, and the rich history that theatre as an artform has.
I already wrote a blogpost on Mother Courage and her children, so in this post I will mainly be focusing on the production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that we saw. This production was one of my favorite pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen. It was so incredibly joyous, and had a certain magic to it that I have rarely experienced before. First off, the show started with the mechanicals coming out on stage and conducting “auditions” for their troupe. They brought audience members up on stage to act and dance, and then they led groups in song. I ended up getting to learn the dance combo, and officially made my Globe debut! This preshow immediately dropped me into the world of the show, and then it just continued. One of my favorite moments was when Puck accidentally got the magic flower in his eye. The first person he saw was an audience member named Simon, and this became a recurring bit throughout the rest of the show. Because Shakespeare is in the public domain, theatres can change the script and add bits in like this as they like. Another moment was when Belle got chosen to be a hole in the wall that Pyramus and Thisbe talked through. This was a fun moment because they engaged the entire audience by having them link arms and become the wall. This connection between audience members created a fun dynamic, and got everyone to be more comfortable with each other. They did it in the first act, and I ended up talking to the guy that I linked arms with during intermission. The sense of community that the show built was amazing. My absolute favorite moment of the show though was when Belle was finally used in the show. She was still on the ground and Bottom was leaning down from the stage and talking through her fingers. He asked if she could get her hand higher and I ended up having to lift her up.
The last thing I want to talk about is the difference between seeing a show in the afternoon and seeing a show at night. Because it is outside, during the day the lights don’t really do anything, but at night the lights are needed. It made me think about the difference in lighting between Shakespeare’s time and ours. They obviously didn’t have electrical lighting back then, so I am curious as to how they did it with just lamps.
I really enjoyed getting to go to the Globe and highly recommend it to anyone going to London!
Cheers,
Thatcher
Theatre in London U of A 