It’s time to step in from the cold, long nights, breathe in the earthy scent of beeswax and timber, and be bathed in the glorious amber glow of our Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: Our Winter 2021/22 season is here…

After a summer season celebrating Shakespeare’s stories in our wooden ‘O’, we cannot wait to move indoors once more to our jewel-box theatre. Join us by candlelight for a winter season of love, identity, justice, and revenge, as we revel in the power of theatre to unite and inspire us.

“As we slowly emerge from a period of deep uncertainty, change and challenge, we turn to these plays to ask some of the most profound questions about who we are, why we are, and what on earth can we do about it. In a quest for love, identity, justice or revenge, these plays are full of people making conscious and unconscious choices that determine either their salvation or destruction. This is a season deliberately designed to tackle the big moral questions and complexities with heart, humour and humanity.”

— Michelle Terry, Artistic Director

Opening our Winter 2021/22 season on 19 November, Blanche McIntyre returns to direct a powerful, suspenseful, and darkly comic new production of  Measure for Measure. Remarkably resonant for today, Shakespeare’s tale of injustice and inequality explores a hyper-sexualised, politically polarised society, and asks ‘what would you be willing to lose in the fight for justice?’

January 2022 sees a new Globe Ensemble take up residency at Shakespeare’s Globe, and start their year long exploration in our theatres with Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Hamlet, in the confines of the intimate Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Led by our Associate Artistic Director, Sean Holmes, this production will embrace the claustrophobia and intensity of this tale of corruption and disruption, and shed candlelight on a country under attack, a family falling apart, and a mind in turmoil.

Abigail Graham makes her Shakespeare’s Globe directorial debut with Shakespeare’s complex exploration of prejudice, patriarchy, and capitalism, The Merchant of Venice, opening on 18 February 2022.  This production exposes the fault lines of a society built on religious and moral hypocrisy, and brings together the personal and political in a re-imagining of Shylock’s play.

What’s more, in a first for our Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, we’ll be offering £5 standing tickets across the season, so even more people will be able to experience Shakespeare by candlelight.

And if you can’t travel to Bankside this winter, do not fear – we’ll be live streaming our three main Shakespeare shows, so you’ll be able to get your taste of our jewel-box theatre from wherever you are in the world. See full details of our Winter 2021/22 live streams and bookmark the date in your diaries now!

Having been a dynamic support for teachers and students over the past challenging year, we’re thrilled to say our wide-ranging programme of events and activities for all ages to engage with Shakespeare will continue this winter. In dialogue with our productions in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, delve deeper into Shakespeare’s worlds with our storytelling sessions, round-table discussions, workshops, webinars and Continued Professional Development courses. Further details will be announced in due course.

After the success of the heart-warming Christmas at the (Snow) Globe, our wooden ‘O’ once more receives a dusting of Christmas magic in a new version of master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Fir Tree, written by Hannah Khalil. Gather the family, wrap up warm with mulled wine in hand, and join us in the Globe Theatre under the wintry star-lit sky for a dose of story, song, candlelight and hope.

Families will also once again be able to undergo an interactive adventure through Shakespeare’s plays with our Telling Tales festival of storytelling and workshops, taking place this October half term, 24 – 30 October 2021. Plays retold for younger audiences include The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Julius Caesar. Our very own Fight Team will also be offering a demonstration of Early Modern stage combat and historical sword fighting, as well as dressing demonstrations of Elizabethan clothing of noble ladies and gentlemen courtiers!

You’ll be able to step through the wooden doors of our Globe Theatre throughout winter as our Guided Tours continue. 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!

So, when can you get your hands on tickets to our Winter 2021/22 season?

Advanced Priority Booking for Patrons opens this Friday 3 September at 10.00am. Priority Booking for Friends opens next Thursday 9 September at 10.00am.

Sign up as a Member today to access Priority Booking for our winter season, as well as a special 20% discount to our Telling Tales festival, invites to exclusive events like our Heaven to Hell behind-the-scenes experience and Members’ Drama Club, and a dose of insightful articles via the digital Members’ Room and Globe Magazine.

Public Booking opens on Thursday 16 September at 10.00am.

We’re ensuring our spaces are as safe as possible for your return in line with the See It Safely campaign from UK Theatre and SOLT. The wearing of face coverings will be encouraged in our indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and our Covid-19 protocols, such as enhanced cleaning and ventilation, and the flexibility to exchange tickets as a result of a positive test or need to isolate, will continue.

We’ll be regularly checking our guidance in line with the UK Government’s recommendations, with updates available on our dedicated Covid-19 safety measures pages.

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.

There is this jewel in the world…

We hope you can join us in our amazing candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse this winter for what promises to be a season filled with heart, humour, and humanity.

#PlayByCandlelight