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| William Shakespeare-Chandos Portrait |
I hastily put down a date, which turned out to be wrong, so let's just celebrate Shakespeare's being born in April around this time, we think.
I had a chance to experience a Shakespeare play in something close to what it might have been like when he was alive. A few years ago, we were in England, and had, for once, made reservations sufficiently far in advance to see one of the Bard’s works at the recreated Globe Theatre.
Though it represents an educated guess at what the original Globe was like, it seemed an authentic enough experience to me. At one point in the performance of Much Ado About Nothing, it started raining. Those standing under the open roof pulled up their rain hoods or umbrellas or simply got rained on.
It was an altogether different experience from watching a performance in a closed theater, or even at an outdoor theater. For one thing, the playhouse is small, and the audience is practically mingling with the players. All in all, it was a fabulous experience, and I hope to return next year.
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| The Globe |
The Curtain is going to be a centerpiece, interestingly enough, of a luxury development. You can find out more here and here.
There’s more about the Curtain Theatre at the MOLA site, and you can learn more about MOLA on their blog.
Images: Shakespeare, Chandos portrait, National Portrait Gallery via Wikipedia.
The Globe Theatre courtesy Shakespeare's Buildings
Clicking on the image will enlarge it. Clicking on the caption will take you to the source, where you can learn more and enlarge images as needed.
One of us -- 
6 comments:
So glad you enjoyed your visit to the Globe. If you fancy more Bard, the RSC produced a show to mark the anniversary called Shakespeare Live! which the BBC transmitted on Saturday night. You can find clips on youtube. My favorite was this skit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvcq2lGZ-2c
Shakespeare was baptised, not born, on the 26th April. The date of his actual birth is not known, but it seems likely that it would be a few days previous to the 26th, and in England we celebrate his birthday on the 23rd April, which is also the date of his death, and also the day dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of England - keeping everything nice and tidy!
Thank you, Jane. I should have double-checked my sources, but it was one of those days/nights. Correction has been inserted.
Hilary, thanks for the link. I loved the skit!
There used to be a Shakespeare festival in Stratford, Connecticut, which my high school had bus trips to fifty-odd years ago. It is a shame it closed down.
The American Shakespeare Center has a recreation of the Blackfriars, Shakespeare's indoor theater. I grew up nearby and have gone to dozens of programs there. They use original staging techniques (interacting with the audience, the lights being on, etc.). If you're near Staunton, VA (in the Shenandoah Valley) I highly recommend a visit.
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