Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt

by J.R. Mulryne (Editor), Margaret Shewring (Editor)

The rebuilding of the Globe theater (1599-1613) on London's Bankside, a few yards from the site of the playhouse in which many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed, must rank as one of the most imaginative enterprises of recent decades. The realization of the vision of Sam Wanamaker and his architect Theo Crosby, it has aroused intense interest among scholars and the general public worldwide. In anticipation of the official opening and the first performance season, visitors have been drawn in large numbers to the auditorium and exhibition. Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt offers a fully-illustrated account of the research that has gone into the Globe reconstruction, drawing on the work of leading scholars, theater people and craftsmen to provide an authoritative view of the twenty years of research and the hundreds of practical decisions entailed. Documents of the period, both visual and written, have been explored anew; the techniques of timber-framed building have been relearned; the archaeology of the Globe and the neighboring Rose playhouse has been further evaluated; the decorative practices of Elizabethan craftsmen have been researched; and all this reconciled with the requirements of the actors and the practical and legal restrictions of modern architectural design. The result is a book that will fascinate scholarly readers and laymen alike.

Genres: Theatre, Shakespeare

212 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 1997

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must have for anyone who is interested in Shakespeare and his time. I have seen on DVD (alas not in person) productions from the new Globe and its wonderful. The first chapter asks a question that set me back awhile and forced me to out the book away for a bit. The authors set the scene/location of the original theatre district with his horrendous pits of animal cruelty cheek to jowl next to the original Globe. Audiences could go from viewing barbaric acts with nary a blink of an eye and with that same eye shed a tear for Romeo and Juliet! As an animal lover it shook me to my core. I am not naïve enough to not recognise that sensibilities have changed ...thankfully! It just brought home that human nature can be so perplexing but as a species were are capable of improving, again thankfully! Anyway that as an aside the design, building of this playhouse is a wonder and maybe before I "pop me willies" I may see it in person.

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally, a series of essays on the methodologies behind building the Globe replica, including an essay by Mark Rylance on acting practices.