Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

   Sam Wanamaker was the founder of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London constructed as a replica of the original globe built in the late 1500s.  The theatre is not too detailed on the outside, the walls consist of white and brown wood with large wooden doors.  However, when you walk into the theatre the focus is clearly on the ornate stage in a proscenium style theatre with three tiers of seating for the audience.  The original stage was decorated with wooden columns which were painted to look like expensive red marble and I thought it was fitting that the London Globe did the same.  There was also faux gold detail included in the paintings around the stage and on the ceiling, which covers the actors heads in case of precipitation as the theatre is outdoors using natural lighting for the show.  The tiers of seats for the audience are also covered, however the pit at the foot of the stage used to house the "stinkards" or people of lower class is completely open.  The theatre was built in the same fashion as the original, making it feel as if we were sitting in a theatre from back in the 1500s.  There was a small gallery of objects and props used from the 1990s version of Shakespeare's plays which had a lot of fine detail in the customs as well.  I enjoyed seeing the sketches for the designs accompanied by photographs of the finished products that were worn during the performance.  My only regret was that we did not have enough time in our schedule to see an actual performance while we were there; I have never loved reading Shakespeare but I know I would much more enjoy seeing one of his plays, especially in the Globe Theatre.