Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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The idea of rebuilding Shakespeare's Globe Theatre near its original site, as a monument to Shakespeare's career in Southwark, was the aspiration of an American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker (1919-1993). The new Globe Theatre was based on research by John Orrell, the architect being Theo Cosby of Pentagram, with engineering and structure by Buro Happold, and construction by McCurdy & Co. The theatre was opened formally by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 June 1997, after a preliminary year in 1996. Under the name of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre it now stages a summer season of plays from May to October, accommodating a maximum of 1581 spectators. From 1995 to 2006, its first director was Mark Rylance, succeeded by Dominic Dromgoole.

Wanamaker became interested in the Globe after visiting the

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Citation: Richmond, Hugh Macrae. "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 July 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5533, accessed 29 March 2024.]

5533 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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