Globe Theatre

The second Globe, 1638

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London where Shakespeare's plays were held. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Over the years, several theatres have held this name, all in central London.

The Globe could seat 3000 people and 1000 standing in the yard. It was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614. It was closed in June 1642, with other theatres, by order of the Puritan Long Parliament.

Drawings

There are drawings of the outside of the theatre, but historians do not really know what the inside of the Globe looked like. They have had to use written descriptions, details from the building contracts, drawings of other theatres, and clues in the plays written to be performed in the Globe. In 1989 an archaeological dig at the site showed that the building was in the shape of a polygon, with 20 sides. They also discovered the building was 100 feet (30 m) in diameter.

Reconstruction

A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 about 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. The rebuilding was a project started by an American actor, director and producer, Sam Wanamaker. He set up the Globe Theatre Trust, and spent years raising money and researching so that the theatre could be built. He died before the new Globe was finished.