Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe stands on the south bank of the Thames in London, a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse that served Elizabethan audiences in the late sixteenth century. The original Globe, closely associated with William Shakespeare himself, was built in 1599 by the playing company he co-owned. The current theatre, which opened in 1997 following decades of campaigning by the American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, was constructed using traditional materials and methods, including hand-made bricks and a thatched roof. It remains one of very few thatched buildings permitted within Greater London.

The Globe stages Shakespeare's works in conditions that echo the original experience, with standing groundlings in the yard and natural daylight illuminating performances. The current programme includes Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, alongside guided tours that take visitors through the theatre's architecture and history. The tours offer a close look at the stage, the yard, and the craftsmanship that defines this remarkable building.