The Groundling Experience is back!

  Our £5 Groundling standing tickets return in the Globe Theatre for our Summer 2021 season

2 minute read

Yes, that’s right. Our much-loved Groundling standing tickets return for the opening of Twelfth Night on Thursday 29 July, 2021.

It’s one of the cheapest tickets in London (and quite often, cheaper than a pint!). Our £5 standing tickets have been put on hold so far for the initial opening of our Summer 2021 season in line with Government guidance on Covid-19 health and safety, but we’re thrilled to say they are back once more.

A blue sky streaked with wisps of white cloud above the circular timbre structure of the Globe Theatre.

£5 Groundling standing tickets return to our open-air Globe Theatre. Photographer: Jessica Strawson

From 29 July, 200 standing tickets will be available for performances in the Yard of our Globe Theatre, replacing our temporary seating, and will incrementally increase throughout the summer until the end of August, when 400 standing tickets will be available.

Our seating capacity will also gradually increase throughout the summer, with social distancing remaining between groups sat on the same row until mid-August. We hope to be back at full seated capacity by 23 August.

‘We are very happy to be welcoming back Groundling standing audiences into the yard once more; being in the open-air and watching the action on stage as a Groundling is a unique experience that many of our audiences have greatly missed over the past year.’

— Neil Constable, CEO Shakespeare’s Globe

An audience member wearing a sun hat smilies and leans their chin and arms against the edge of the Globe Theatre stage.

Our Groundling tickets are truly a unique theatrical experience. Photographer: Paul Underhill (taken pre-pandemic in 2015)

Despite restrictions in England lifting today on 19 July 2021, the safety of our acting companies, staff, volunteers and audience members, remains our top priority.

All our staff will continue to wear a face covering, to protect you and each other, and we encourage you to think of your fellow audience members and our staff and do the same, especially when moving around the Globe Theatre.

Our Covid-19 health and safety measures, including social distancing on stage, no intervals, and reduced audience capacity will remain in place for the time being, and we’ll continue with enhanced cleaning, hand-sanitiser stations, contactless ticketing, modified routes and arrival points to avoid overcrowding.

A member of staff in a visor uses a machine to scan a QR code on someone’s device

Our Covid-19 safety measures, such as contactless tickets…

An audience member in a red jacket leans down to sanitise her hands at a sanitiser station

…and hand sanitising stations, remain.

Restrictions on booking party sizes have been lifted and temperature checks and check-in via the NHS app will no longer be mandatory. We’re also maintaining our ‘Book with Confidence and Exchange with Ease’ pledge, allowing exchanges up to 24 hours ahead of a performance if you cannot attend due to Covid-19 related issues.

We’re also thrilled to say our Globe Shop will reopen to audiences before matinee and evening shows. We have a range of Shakespeare quote-themed merchandise, plus DVDs of plays, clothes and bags, gifts, stationery, books, media, homeware, prints and more to mark your visit to the Globe Theatre!

A shop inside a theatre is brightly lit and decorated with lots of merchandise, the word ‘shop’ can be seen written vertically up the wall

Our main Globe Shop reopens, with an array of Shakespeare-themed delights.

A bar at night is lit by large bulb lights and we see a barman in the distance making a cocktail at the bar

Swan at the Globe is now fully open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, pre-theatre dinner and fine dining.

Our friends at Swan Bar & Restaurant are also now open at full-seating capacity, welcoming guests for the bar, restaurant and events in a socially responsible manner. So why not treat yourself to a sumptuous bite to eat or a round of drinks with friends before the show?

We want you to feel confident and comfortable when visiting us, but if there is anything you’d like to discuss ahead of your visit please contact us or get in touch on social media and our team will be happy to help.

Since our reopening in May, we’ve already welcomed over 32,000 audience members into 79 performances in our open-air Globe Theatre, and we cannot wait to continue sharing Shakespeare’s incredible stories with you in our amazing wooden ‘O’ this summer.

‘The very thing that theatre thrives on is the one thing that Covid denied us: the live, alchemical relationship between play, actor, audience, space and time. It has been beyond incredible to have opened our doors to live theatre again, but the beating heart of the Globe is the unique and ultra-live relationship between Actor and Groundling, standing together and ready for action. Well we’re all ready. And we can’t wait.’

— Michelle Terry, Artistic Director

FINIS.