Hello Summer.

Yes, it’s the news you’ve been waiting for: wherever you are in the globe, prepare to immerse yourself in our epic Summer 2022 season where the past and present, the personal and political, pomp and passion all collide in our magnificent wooden ‘O’. We hope you’re ready for the ride…

“For our Summer 2022 season our magnificent wooden ‘O’ will hold the past and present, the personal and political, power, pomp, pageantry and passion. The world beyond may be uncertain, but these plays are sure to guide us through the summer days with hope, strength and purpose – and of course with people. Above all else there will be people. People being together, with other people. Summer 2022 at Shakespeare’s Globe. It’s going to be epic.”

— Michelle Terry, Artistic Director

  Immerse yourself in the thrill of live theatre

After her seminal production of Titus Andronicus (2014), Lucy Bailey returns to the Globe to direct our Globe Ensemble in a riotous new production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Opening the season on 22 April, Shakespeare’s energetic tale of jealously, self-discovery and love is the perfect comedy to reignite your passion for theatre and get your summer started.

The same company of players, directed by our Associate Artistic Director Sean Holmes, bring Shakespeare’s elemental comedy The Tempest to life.

Pack those sea-legs and get ready to be shaken in a tumultuous new production of Shakespeare’s tale of reckoning and redemption.

After 25 years, Actor Kathryn Hunter and Director Helena Kaut-Howson reunite once more for Shakespeare’s epic tragedy, King Lear.

A nightmarish family drama of global proportions, King Lear sees a kingdom torn apart when the aged King relinquishes his empire. Kathryn reclaims the title role, with Marcello Magni as Kent and our very own Artistic Director Michelle Terry as Cordelia and the Fool.

2022 sees a new Writer-in-Residence take up the quill at the Globe. Playwright Hannah Khalil becomes Shakespeare and Fletcher’s third collaborator in Henry VIII.

The Tudors… you know the story. But it’s never been told this way before. Directed by Amy Hodge (Women Beware Women, 2020), this historical tale of love, lineage, and power is told afresh from a female perspective. The present may be Henry’s. But the future is hers.

From the rarely-performed historical epic, Henry VIII, to a powerful new play uncovering a long-forgotten voice: Joan rediscovers the story of the unexpected leader, Joan of Arc.

Young, poor, female, and about to spark a revolution. This is Joan. Join us in our wooden ‘O’ as the cry for courage erupts in this fiery story from Writer Charlie Josephine and Director Ilinca Radulian.

Can’t join us at our Bankside home this summer? Our Touring Ensemble return to confront our own political landscape in Shakespeare’s startlingly relevant tragedy, Julius Caesar.

Playing in the Globe Theatre and heading out on the road as part of Globe on Tour, Director Diane Page brings this epic and brutal tale of ambition, incursion, and revolution to life. Catch our travelling players at venues across the UK.

For the night owls, our Midnight Matinées return this summer with Much Ado About Nothing and Julius Caesar. Performances start at 11.59pm, so as the city settles down and fades away to sleep, revel in the enchanting atmosphere of the Globe under the stars and experience Shakespeare’s plays in a truly unique and magical way.

Visiting the Globe as a family? Keep reading for details on our bumper offer to keep kids (both little and big!) entertained this summer…

  Adventures await for the whole family

If the thought of spending spring/summer cooped up indoors is driving the whole family to madness, we’ve got just the ticket to ease your cabin fever. Keep little monsters entertained with a host of plays, events, and workshops as part of our Summer 2022 season.

This year marks the 16th anniversary of our annual Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank project, created especially to introduce young people and students to Shakespeare. This March we turn to the spectacular Macbeth, directed by Sarah Frankcom – venture to great Scottish castles, be spooked by witches, and witness gripping battles in this 90-minute version of one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies.

Thanks to the continued support of Deutsche Bank and their Born to Be project, we are once more able to share over 20,000 free tickets with school children from London and Birmingham, as well as welcoming families to the Globe for their first experience of Shakespeare.

For the first time in our Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, we’re staging a full-scale show for families and young people, Midsummer Mechanicals, with our friends at Splendid Productions.

The hilarious follow-up to the play-within-a-play from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this new play sees those mischievous Mechanicals, led by the ‘unparalleled’ Bottom, as they attempt to recapture the success of their first hit show, Pyramus and Thisbe. We can only imagine the pure chaos that will ensue.

Our family festival Telling Tales returns this Easter. Uncover the magic of storytelling together in our practical, immersive Family Workshops, or journey through strange lands in our fun Storytelling Sessions exploring Shakespeare’s plays, including The Tempest, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet.

Budding Young Actors and Young Academics can also get lost exploring Shakespeare’s plays on the stage and via the page, as part of our Summer Schools during the holidays.

Family-favourite CBeebies bring their unique twist to As You Like It this August – the perfect way for teeny-tots to experience Shakespeare.

Filled with music and mischief, and familiar CBeebies faces, this unique show will be available to watch in our Globe Theatre, on the CBeebies channel, and on BBC iPlayer. Watch this space for further information!

The whole family can travel back in time to Shakespeare’s London and hear 400 years of history unfold on a Globe Theatre Guided Tour, running throughout the summer.

Our expert time travellers will reveal all the secrets of our wooden ‘O’, and offer visitors the opportunity to discover Shakespeare at the playhouse for which he wrote, learn more about the history of 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!

Phew! What an adventure – we look forward to welcoming the whole family through our great oak doors. Keep reading for details on how to book tickets for all our events this summer.

  Uncover Shakespeare’s impact on the world with our Research events

Our world-leading Research continues this summer with the return of our Anti-Racist Shakespeare webinars, our exploration into Early Modern performance practice through our Research in Action programme, and Shakespeare’s influence on Polish culture with a second series on Shakespeare and Poland.

In Anti-Racist Shakespeare, actors and scholars of colour join together for an online webinar series exploring the relationship between race, social justice, and Shakespeare, with discussions on Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Henry VIII, and King Lear.

As well as taking place live on Zoom, these webinars will also be available to watch indefinitely on our YouTube channel – catch up on our previous sessions now.

This year sees the return of Research in Action, our programme of workshops where we explore the weird and wonderful world of Early Modern drama. Join us in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for Editing in Action where we explore what performance can bring to the editing of John Fletcher’s texts; Translation in Action sees us experiment with translations of classical Hispanic comedia for English-speaking audiences today; and in Perfuming the Early Modern Stage we discover how perfumes, incense, and less pleasant odours were used on stage.

We also welcome two rising stars of Shakespeare Studies to share their research in These are the Youths That Thunder, our annual public lecture celebrating the new voices uncovering new ideas on Shakespearean times and texts.

After our 2019 Shakespeare and Poland festival, we once more examine Poland’s particular affinity and fascination with Shakespeare and his work through a new series of events. The return of Read Not Dead, our much-loved script-in-hand performances,  sees the world premiere in English of Cyprian Norwid’s Shakespeare-inspired Cleopatra and Caesar. Accompanying our Summer 2022 production of King Lear, Polish-born, internationally-acclaimed theatre and opera director Helena Kaut-Howson discusses her introduction to Shakespeare whilst growing up in Poland and how it has influenced her in a Roundtable discussion chaired by Patrick Spottiswoode, Founder of Globe Education.

Can’t get enough of the Globe? We are now recruiting for Stewards to join our incredible Volunteer Family! Our plays wouldn’t happen without the amazing work of our Stewards, who are passionate ambassadors for the Globe. Benefits include the chance to attend open dress rehearsals, meet new people and, of course, become an integral part of the Globe family. If you have a passion for the arts and an enthusiasm for engaging with members of the public, we’d love to hear from you!

This month we’re opening our great oak doors and inviting professional performers to meet with our Casting team for Open Meetings. This new initiative supports our ongoing commitment to inclusion and diversity both onstage and off. We’d love to meet actors who we haven’t seen previously in the last two years, especially marginalised and underrepresented members of the artistic community. Our first Open Meeting is this February, and applications are now open!

For those who are unable to make the trip to London this summer, or would like the chance to catch-up on some of their favourite Globe productions, you can experience the magic of our wooden ‘O’ from anywhere in the globe, any time, with the new version of Globe Player, our video-on-demand platform. There are currently 16 productions available to stream, including shows from our recent Summer 2021 season, with further titles to be added this February 2022.

  The all-important booking information

So, when can you get your hands on tickets to our Summer 2022 season?

Advanced Priority Booking for Patrons opens next Monday 31 January at 10.00am. Priority Booking for Friends opens Thursday 3 February at 10.00am. Sign up as a Member today to access Priority Booking for our summer season, as well as special discounts, invites to exclusive events, and a dose of insightful articles with our Globe Magazine.

Public Booking opens the following week on Friday 11 February at 10.00am.

Once again tickets will be available from as little as £5, and if you book tickets for three or more shows, you’ll get 30% off!*

The world beyond may be uncertain, but we hope we can guide you through the summer days with purpose, strength, and hope as we celebrate our 25th anniversary year.

Summer 2022 at Shakespeare’s Globe. It’s going to be epic.

#ThisWoodenO