Getting to visit the globe and see not only one but two shows there was so cool. To be honest I thought it would be a lot bigger, but after going there for a second time, it honestly makes sense that it’s not so big. I think the idea of having groundlings is fun; however, that was not ideal for me as we found out! I think the heat mixed with standing the whole time was not the best idea. I did throw up on the ground at Mother Courage… but on the bright side, I met a super nice medic and got to sit the rest of the show! When we came for Midsummer you could still see the spot there😍 At least I left my mark! Aside from that, it was honestly great getting to watch the show from two different perspectives. The first half I was leaning against the stage, so I had a very up-close and personal view. Then for the second act we were sitting against the back wall in the first section of seats.
Both of the shows we saw were performed to be very interactive with the audience. Mother Courage had a lot of eye contact and pointing, which gave us a little taste of being involved. Then Midsummer, which started with people getting to come up on stage to perform a scene from Romeo & Juliet, a group getting to learn a dance, and cast members going around the audience to teach a song. Things like that can be so fun because it makes people feel like they are inside the world of the play. I want to say that I feel like shows were also performed like that back then too, but I honestly don’t know. In my head I think that everyone used to be so serious, but obviously these plays were written to be funny, so maybe they did have audience interaction. I don’t recall seeing a show in America that was so interactive, but I’m sure we have them somewhere. The way the globe does theater is so fun, but by now I’m sure this idea has spread and evolved!
Theatre in London U of A 