Open the gates: we prepare to reopen our doors this spring
In line with the UK Government’s roadmap, we’re readying our theatres to provide world-class culture once more from 13 April
It’s been a long year of uncertainty and isolation, with cultural venues around the UK and the world forced to close their physical doors to the public.
But we’re hopeful as we look ahead to spring and the year ahead. Provided the conditions are met for Step 2 of the UK Government’s roadmap for cultural reopening, our Guided Tours of the Globe Theatre will return this April, and we’ll also welcome schools back onsite with tours and workshops. We’re also preparing exciting plans for full reopening in our open-air Globe Theatre in preparation for Step 3 of the roadmap – keep your eyes peeled for full details on our summer season later this month!
We’re preparing to reopen our doors once more this spring. Photographer: Claudia Conway
Last summer, we safely welcomed over 3,600 visitors back to our Globe Theatre to explore our iconic space in a new version of our Guided Tour. From 13 April, we once again look forward to welcoming visitors safely back to our wooden ‘O’ for our Guided Tours. Our tours offer visitors the opportunity to discover Shakespeare at the playhouse for which he wrote, learn more about the history of Shakespeare’s London, and the story of the Globe Theatre itself. For those with little ones, our family-friendly tours are the perfect introduction for younger visitors!
Tours will be running every day during the Easter holidays, and the weekends following. Tickets must be booked in advance online in order to allow for social distancing, so be sure to secure your time-slot in plenty of time! We want you to feel confident and comfortable when visiting us and we are taking all the necessary COVID-19 safety measures. From guidance on social distancing, to advanced cleaning, face shields for staff and more, you can read all of our Coronavirus safety measures online ahead of your visit.
We are well prepared to safely welcome back audiences to our theatres once again. Photographer: Charlotte Horobin
‘Closing the Globe last year was a truly awful experience – none of us wanted the pandemic to be a reality, but in the face of public safety we of course did what was needed. Over the past year, we have expanded our digital offering and have loved seeing our work reach international audiences like never before. We have played our part supporting families and students at home with a huge array of events, workshops for all ages and stages. But, more than anything, we are excited to have audiences back in our wooden ‘O’, and we are well-prepared to safely welcome the public in once again. Our creative freelancers are integral to our reopening and future success, and we are committed to employing them at the earliest opportunity. We are ready to recover, delighted to open those wooden doors into our marvellous outdoor theatre and get back to providing world-class culture to the public’
— Neil Constable, CEO Shakespeare’s Globe
What’s more, our friends at Swan Bar & Restaurant will also be reopening for outdoor dining from 12 April. Reserve your table for mid-morning coffees and snacks, a delicious new springtime menu, or a cheeky tipple or two with their carefully curated drinks list, as you enjoy spectacular views of St. Paul’s and the London skyline.
Join our friends at Swan Bar & Restaurant for outdoor dining with spectacular views of St. Paul’s and the London skyline.
We know not everyone will be able to travel to London and the UK just yet. If you can’t visit us in person, we have a host of online activities on offer throughout March and April to help you stay connected with us.
Since our closure last March 2020, we’ve run over 600 live and interactive events, including family workshops and storytelling sessions, staged readings of plays and poems, live gigs, debates and discussions, training and development workshops, plus our first ever specially-produced-for-online film.
This March sees Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s deliciously funny and Olivier award-winning Emilia return to screens. You can stream the archive West End recording until the end of the month, in partnership with WOW Festival and to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The Oliver awarding-winning fiery hit, Emilia, is available to stream online throughout March.
You can also step into our candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse with two exclusive events streamed online.
Dead Poets Live and Olivier award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson bring British poet Stevie Smith’s sensational poetry to life in a new film Black March that draws on her letters, prose and illustrations. Released to mark the 50th anniversary of Stevie Smith’s death, you can watch the film for free on-demand until 5 April.
This month also sees us welcome back multi-award-winning musician, composer and songwriter Nitin Sawhney for a one-off live-streamed event on 27 March, celebrating his extraordinary back catalogue and his brand-new album Immigrants. Tickets are available to purchase now.
Join Juliet Stevenson in our Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for Black March: a film celebrating the letters, prose and illustrations of poet Stevie Smith.
As ever, we’re always looking for ways to help support families and schools during this unprecedented time. From Easter, join us wherever you are in the world to share in the joy of Shakespeare’s stories and immersive yourself in his wonderful world through our series of online activities, workshops, storytelling sessions and shows.
Our ever-popular Telling Tales online storytellings and workshops for the whole family return this Easter, 20 March – 12 April. Children can delve into the madcap worlds of Shakespeare plays through a range of playful activities and games – the perfect introduction to Shakespeare.
And if you fancy a film night with the family, our Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank production of Romeo and Juliet, created especially for young people, is still available to watch on YouTube, for free, and is a fast-paced, action-packed 90 minute introduction to one of Shakepeare’s most popular plays on the syllabus.
Our ever-popular Telling Tales online storytellings and workshops for the whole family return this Easter.
Our Online Short Courses for young people are perfect for budding actors or academics.
Have a budding actor or academic in your household?
From Easter, Online Short Courses for Young Actors and Young Academics will also begin, with a variety of courses from 6–16 April aimed at those aged between 8–19 years. Young Actors with a passion for theatre can develop their skills with our practitioners through games and playing with different scenes. Young Academics can take part in a five-day course to enrich their understanding of Shakespeare’s plays before going on to further studies in English Literature.
Do your children need an extra helping hand or boost in their revision for GCSE and A-Level?
From 12–16 April we’re launching a new series of online study sessions supporting GCSE and A-Level students. Led by a Globe practitioner, each two-hour workshop will provide participants with strategies to respond to questions in their final assessments. There will be sessions on Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet for GCSE, and Othello and Hamlet for A-Level. What’s more, tickets are available from £5, so you only pay the price that works for you.
Boost your understanding of Shakespeare and his plays with our online study sessions for GCSE and A-Level students.
On Earth Day, we’ll be exploring the relationships between Shakespeare’s works and the current climate crisis, in an online symposium.
Over Shakespeare’s Birthday weekend and for Earth Day, we’ll be co-hosting with the University of California (Merced) an online symposium Globe 4 Globe: Shakespeare and Climate.
On 23–24 April, experts, activists and theatre practitioners will gather together for a vital exploration of the relationships between Shakespeare’s works and the current climate crisis.
Audiences around the globe are welcome to join us as we ask how can we use Shakespeare to address the most urgent environmental questions of our time?
Lockdown has provided us with the opportunity to see things differently – much of our work has moved online, allowing audiences from all around the world to experience Shakespeare and theatre from their very own homes, and offer audiences who would not necessarily engage with the Bard a taste of what to expect. But ultimately, we want to be back in our wooden ‘O’, experiencing the thrill of live theatre and events, with you, our wonderful extended Globe Family.
We are so nearly there. We are waiting with bated breath to welcome you back into our unique spaces, to experience the joy and wonder of theatre, to step out onto that great stage of fools.
We’re waiting with bated breath to step out onto that great stage of fools. Photographer: Charlotte Horobin
