The Globe Theatre

*Please note, early ClassVR headset models (155) may take longer to load this scene and performance could be affected.* Step back in time and travel to the bustling world of Shakespearean London! Students will find themselves landing just outside the Globe Theatre, William Shakespeare’s most famous venue on the banks of the River Thames. Immerse students in a theater experience during Elizabethan England, a time often referred to by historians as a “Golden Age” for culture and exploration. In this experience, students will discover what going to the theater would have been like, including how this experience differed depending on your social class. What would an afternoon at the theater include? Students have arrived just in time. The theater is preparing to perform one of his most famous plays. The Globe is very popular, and the Bard himself is somewhere ready to oversee the preparations for opening night! **Note to Teachers:** The *Globe experience* is designed to send students behind the scenes of Shakespeare's Globe as it would have been in the 16th century or as close as we can historically get. It draws inspiration from primary, secondary and tertiary resources. Further inspiration has been gleaned from historical accounts and images of the Rose Theater, an Elizabethan playhouse built by John Cholmley similar in size and stature as the Globe and The Theatre built by James Burbage. This experience is designed to support social studies, world history, ELA and theater arts lessons. # Learning Objectives 1. Explore the theater's stage, galleries, backstage, yard, heavens and flag symbolism{.info} 2. Observe visual clues that indicate how different social classes experienced Elizabethan theatre{.info} 3. Review experience of The Globe in the 16th century with going to the theater in modern-day{.info} # Preparing for the Experience Before entering *The Globe Experience,* discuss the historical context with students. Discuss 16th-century London, Elizabethan England, and the Renaissance. By the 14th century, Europe was flourishing, especially in the arts, and England was no exception. Elizabeth I's accession in 1588 marked a “golden age” of literature, art and intellectual culture. As a great patron of the arts, Elizabeth believed theater and music enhanced her status and court. She supported writers and musicians through patronage. Before her reign, theater focused on religious or classical themes, but by the 1570s, permanent troupes of actors, or players, emerged. As demand grew, players needed a steady supply of new material, so they had to write quickly. Many men became playwrights, often working in groups to produce the literature. As most Elizabethans were illiterate, the best way to learn about history, storytelling and culture was at the theater. The Globe wasn't the only playhouse in London! In fact, there were two types: outdoor playhouses (public amphitheaters like the Globe) and indoor playhouses (private venues). Many companies also performed in inns. In the 1500s and 1600s going to the theater was popular, but not everyone approved. London City officials believed that playhouses attracted noisy and disruptive behavior, so many were built outside of the London City walls. The south bank of the River Thames, already known for brothels, taverns and animal baiting, became a popular place for permanent playhouses. **Preparation Questions** - What do you think the street conditions during this time would have been like?{.task} - What other forms of entertainment might have been nearby?{.task} - What do you think were the main differences in lifestyle, work and opportunities between social classes in the 16th century?{.task} # Step-by-Step Experience Guide Teachers can use this step-by-step guide to lead students through the experience once they are in the headset. Alternatively, students can use the guide below independently, or in a group. ## Explore the Market Street{.objective .objective1}  Welcome to 16th Century London! You've just landed in London on your carrack ship. This is the epicenter of theater in London, and you're hoping to catch a performance at the Globe before you leave. Walk down the narrow street. What do you notice about the cleanliness, and what might this tell you about the area and the people living here? You'll also see market stalls selling food ready for the show. During this time, going to the theater was usually a day event with various entertainment. Outside theaters, there would be market sellers offering all types of food and beverages. In fact, modern excavations of playhouses have found remnants of bottles, oyster shells, hazelnuts and fruit peel. Walk toward the man with the brown hat; this is a peddler or a street seller. These salesmen, some of which were women, traveled around selling various goods, including food, buttons and jewelry. Before you listen to the actor standing on the barrel, have a look up! What color is the flag and what might this symbolize? During this time, flags were used to signal the type of play being performed that day. A white flag represented comedy, red indicated history and black signified tragedy. ## Quick Fire Questions - What might the cleanliness of the streets tell you about health and hygiene during this time? {.task} - If you were a peddler during this time, what would you sell and how would you convince people to buy your goods? {.task} ## Green Shows{.objective .objective2}  Looking ahead toward the Globe entrance, what is the actor standing on the barrel to your left doing? This was called a Green Show, a free performance held before the main event. They aimed to attract a larger audience while also showcasing new material. It served as both a marketing strategy and a preview. **Note to teachers:** The extract is from Romeo's "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks" speech at the beginning of Act II Scene 2 in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Want a sneaky pre-show preview? Carefully step through the historic Globe doors, standing since 1599. ## Quick Fire Questions - Have a listen to the green show actor. What monologue is he performing, and from what play? {.task} - Compare a green show with modern marketing practices. What are the key differences and similarities in how shows were promoted in Shakespeare’s time versus today? {.task} ## Enter the Globe{.objective .objective3}  Welcome to the Globe! The actors are preparing for this afternoon’s performance, and you have a rare chance to go behind the scenes. Take a look around. What do you notice about the theater’s structure? The Globe was built using materials from an older playhouse called *the Theatre*. Its round shape forms a multi-sided polygon with three seating levels and an open-air yard in the center. Its walls were made of big timber frames, filled with wooden slats, plaster and cow hair, while its iconic roof was thatched with reeds, which was cheaper then. Can you spot anything that hints at how people paid for their tickets? Excavations along Bankside have uncovered fragments of Tudor money pots, like the green one on the barrel. These are believed to have been used to collect entry fees or payments for food and drink. Perhaps their version of a box office? ## Quick Fire Questions - Looking at the money box closely. How do you think they took out the money? {.task} - How do you think the Globe’s round shape and thrust stage influenced the audience’s experience compared to a proscenium theater? {.task} ## The Yard{.objective .objective4}  Step into the yard. This is where the groundlings stood, paying a penny to enter and stand in the uncovered yard closest to the stage; these were the cheapest “seats.” They could sit on the benches behind the yard for an extra penny if they earned more that day. Groundlings was the name of a small fish, with a large mouth. Does this give you any clues about how they smelled? Look around. What clues suggest how audiences behaved? What food might they have eaten, and where did they go to the toilet? The Globe stood near the polluted River Thames on marshy, flood-prone ground. Therefore, the yard area was often damp, unsanitary, and had a very strong smell, as waste often flowed into the river, attracting disease and rodents. ## Quick Fire Questions - What does the open-air design of the Globe suggest about the experience of watching a play compared to modern indoor theaters? {.task} - Why do you think the cheapest tickets were in the yard? How does this compare to your experience? {.task} ## The Stage{.objective .objective5}  It's time to step on stage! Walk toward the actor; what is he saying? **Stage Layout** The stage you are standing on is a thrust or open stage. These were extremely popular during the Elizabethan era and are sometimes used today. They extended into the audience, meaning the actors were close to the groundlings below and the food they decided to throw at them. Looking around you, the pillars were painted to mimic Italian marble, and the sky was painted midnight blue with images of the gods overlooking the balcony. **Special Effects** Performances at the Globe were simple, with minimal props and effects, so audiences relied on the actors' skills and words to convey the story. On stage, they had a trapdoor, usually for dramatic entrances and exits, often for supernatural or mysterious characters. If you look up, you'll notice a trap door above you. Above the "heavens," people used pulleys to create effects like flying characters or to move flying props. **Cue Scripts** Take a closer look at the writing on the small stool next to the actor. Actors used these small, handwritten booklets or cue scripts to memorize their lines. It didn't contain the full play, only their lines and cues, with just enough context to know when to speak. Rehearsals as we know them didn't really exist either. Unlike modern theatre, there wasn’t generally a director guiding the actors. Instead, actors were mostly responsible for interpreting and directing their own performances with a little help from fellow actors, apprentices and playwrights. ## Quick Fire Questions - What challenges do you think actors faced performing in an open-air theater with no microphones or artificial lighting? {.task} - How do you think not having the full script affected an actor's preparation and performance in Shakespearean theatre? {.task} ## Tiring House or Backstage{.objective .objective6}  Turn around and enter backstage. You are now in the tiring house, the area behind the stage where actors prepare, get dressed, store the props, and enter the stage. **Costumes** Head toward the costumes on the wall. In this era, clothing reflected status and was regulated by Sumptuary Laws, even in theatre! Noble characters wore expensive outfits, while lower-status roles usually wore their own clothes. As everything had to be made by hand, costumes were expensive. Acting companies spent heavily on costumes, around £300 a year, over £35,000 today (around \$43,900). The stage's canopy helped protect these valuable garments from bad weather. Costumes were often rented, reused or purchased from servants who couldn't wear the fine clothes they had inherited from their employers. **Actors** Looking around, you'll notice the actor getting ready before the show. You won't see any female actors here, as women weren't allowed to act on stage at this time. Young boys or men would play the female roles. It wasn't until 1660 that a woman was allowed to go on stage in an English theater. **Stage Makeup and Props** Step up to the mirror, and you'll notice the little pots. Actors used makeup to define their roles, but beauty came at a cost. The pale look was highly toxic, achieved with *ceruse*, a mix of white lead and vinegar, often mixed with pigments to create other colors. ## Quick Fire Questions - Take a closer look around the room. Do you recognize any of the props? What plays do you think they belong to? {.task} ## Musician’s Balcony{.objective .objective7}  Climb above, walk up the ladder, and see what you'll find. **Special Effects** Look in front of you. You'll notice some barrels with X branded on them. For special effects, theatre companies had to be clever! They sometimes used gunpowder to create thunder, flashes or even small explosions. **Musicians** As you reach the top, explore the musician's balcony. Here, musicians played instruments like the lute during performances to add to the atmosphere. Actors might also appear here in dramatic scenes. **Lord’s Rooms** Take a closer look at the chairs at the front of the musician's balcony. Rich nobles would often pay six pennies to sit here. They couldn't see anything, but they could be seen! ## Quick Fire Questions - How do modern special effects compare to those used in Shakespeare’s time? {.task} - What do you think the role of musicians were and how did they add to the atmosphere? {.task} # The Galleries{.objective .objective8}  Look over to the galleries. Someone is standing there. Walk back downstairs and walk up the stairs toward the galleries. Walk past the person sweeping and climb the gallery stairs past the barrels. Halfway up, what does the sign say, and what do you think it means? The Globe motto is said to have been *Totus mundus agit histrionem,* which translates in modern British English to "The whole world is a playhouse." Carry on walking up until you reach the galleries. You are now standing in the galleries. This is where richer people sat, paying between two and three pennies for gallery seats and another for a cushion. These seats were covered and away from the smell of the groundlings. Can you find Shakespeare? He is here somewhere preparing for this afternoon's Hamlet performance. ## Quick Fire Questions - How might the experience of watching a play have been different for a groundling compared to someone in the galleries? {.task} - Do you think the experience of watching a play today still reflects social class differences? Why or why not? {.task} # Extended Learning Use this extended research idea to enhance your *Globe experience.* **Discover Shakespeare's Next Masterpiece** Head toward the galleries. Find the piece of paper on the table next to Shakespeare with his drawings. Based on the images and symbolism in Shakespeare's paper, what themes do you think his next play will explore, and what play might it be? # Cross-Curricular Links **English and Theater Arts** If you were to create your own narrative inspired by Shakespeare, what symbols and imagery would you use to represent power and ambition? How about betrayal and loyalty? **Social Studies / World History** How did social class differences in Shakespeare’s theater reflect the broader social and political hierarchy of the Elizabethan era, and how were these themes reflected in Shakespeare’s plays? Share findings through a written report or presentation. # Teacher Resources ### Download the Teacher Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/6IgtTikRzI0hxPilMetwuAnYuRG0X7dxUNs3zryOOzo?size=8314104&type=application%2Fpdf&name=The+Globe+Teacher+Notes+-+Teacher+Version.pdf) ### Download the Student Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/JAweF6u78BDHc05y9BOpVttaJ1V0VQ5ic-lpaYeOuRc?size=7146195&type=application%2Fpdf&name=The+Globe+Teacher+Notes+-+Student+Version.pdf)