On the ground at Shakespeare’s Globe

(Images : Johan Persson and Helen Murray)

A unique theatrical experience

Shakespeare's Globe is a faithful reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for William Shakespeare's plays that were performed there by his theatre company The Lord Chamberlain's Men.

As with the original, the new Shakespeare's Globe it is located on London's Bankside, the south bank of the River Thames in London.

As such it offers as near as one can get to experiencing a Shakespeare play as would those who went to the original Globe during the first 40 plus years of the 17th Century.

This theatre, in Shakespeare's time, would have been packed to its rafters with all walks of life.

The more affluent in London society would pay a premium for a wooden bench seat in one of the three tiered galleries surrounding the stage area and upgrade these with a cushion.

Those of lesser means, the fishmongers, watermen, market traders and apprentices would be crammed standing into the pit or yard positioned between the stage and galleries.

Standing for productions would cost a 'one penny piece' (when there were 240 pennies to the pound) and those doing so become known as 'groundlings'.

To coin a phrase

The term stemmed from Hamlet, in which Shakespeare has the prince advising actors to avoid overacting because the groundlings are incapable of appreciating anything but 'inexplicable dumb shows and noise."

Groundlings would watch performances while eating and drinking.

Given their proximity to the stage, there would also be much raucous interaction between the actors and the groundlings who were sprawling before them.

The new Shakespeare's Globe replicates its predecessors, as near as is possible, and has a similar sized pit for some 700 persons.

Down on the ground

On all previous visits to Shakespeare's Globe I have chosen to sit in the galleries, a cushion adding an element of comfort.

Looking down on today's groundlings, I realised I really must try this, if just the once.

And so having enjoyed the tremendous current production of Much Ado About Nothing (see : https://www.allwaystraveller.com/allways-features/much-ado-about-nothing-at-shakespeares-globe) I went a second time as a groundling.

It was different but equally enthralling experience.

Although standing for up to three hours may not be something that appeals, there were absolutely no regrets.

Being in such close proximity to action put a different perspective on the performance.

I could appreciate the subtle interplay between the actors and ourselves who, would climb down and perform among us and enter or leave the stage on and off stage through us .

Being in a 'crowd' also generates a more spontaneous response to what takes place on the boards above.

Why oh why

Those choosing the groundling experience today seems equally as diverse as it always has been and is the preferred choice for many.

During my evening in the pit, I met an English literature student studying Shakespeare who found this an invaluable way to 'get under the skin of the Bard and his work' and was on her third visit to this production.

Joan and Don are two retired professionals who get to almost every production as groundlings and will do so for as long as they are physically able.

Don took me through the essential preparation he and Joan took to ensure all goes well.

"Get there as early as possible and look to get a place by the stage, to get the best view and have the stage to lean on if one gets a little tired.

"You standing is under the open bit of the roof, so dress for comfort and all weathers

"And most important, go to the toilet before entering the theatre so as not to have to do so during the interval. You don't want to lost your place by the stage"

By follow their groundling strategy, Don knew he and Joan were "enjoying Shakespeare as those original groundlings would have done - but probably without the smell."

In addition to the regulars I met, there were a couple of groups of foreign tourists, who had been briefed on the groundling rules before entering the theatre; a woman who was to direct her 'am dram group production of the play 'in the sticks'.

Still great value

Finally, and as it always has been for groundlings, one gets to see productions at much less cost.

Tickets for the yard area are just £10 with the Friday Rush (every Friday from 11.00am) offering unsold spaces for the coming weeks performances for just £5.

https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/5-pound-rush

Would my first experience as a groundling at Shakespeare's Globe be my last? Absolutely not.

Be it to get into productions where the seating is sold out or, as with Much Ado About Nothing, to get to those I want to enjoy twice.

About Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a world-renowned theatre, education centre, and cultural landmark based on London's Bankside.

The organisation celebrates Shakespeare's transformative impact on the world by conducting a radical theatrical experiment.

Shakespeare called his theatre a 'wooden O' and like his historic playhouse, the Globe Theatre is a 360° auditorium.

With no roof over the central yard, the theatre is open-air, and audiences who attend performances and tours are told to dress for the weather!

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is located on the same site in London, next to the Globe Theatre.

Named in honour of its founder, the Playhouse is based on indoor candlelit theatres known to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Lit by over one hundred beeswax candles, the intimate Sam Wanamaker Playhouse hosts plays, concerts, education workshops and events throughout the year.

Made up of the outdoor Globe Theatre and the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe remains one of the most unique, remarkable and breathtaking theatrical spaces in London.

Inspired and informed by the unique historic playing conditions of two iconic theatres, its diverse programme of work harnesses the power of performance, cultivates intellectual curiosity, and excites learning to make Shakespeare accessible for all.

At Shakespeare's Globe, more people engage with Shakespeare through their work than through that of any other organisation, with its education department one of the most active in the UK.

Activities include school workshops, public events, university courses and community projects, fulfilling Founder Sam Wanamaker's wish to bring Shakespeare and his work to a new generation.

Shakespeare's Globe's productions of Shakespeare now tour throughout the UK, Europe, the United States and Asia, and its educational work is extending overseas, notably through forthcoming teaching centres in the USA and China.

More information :

https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/