Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Hugh Macrae Richmond (University of California, Berkeley)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University), Sean Seeger (University of Essex)

Domains

Organisations and institutions (arts& culture)
Theatre

Dates

Date of occurrence 1996

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

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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 British exhibit...

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1596 words

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 14 December 2025.]

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

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