On this date in 1996 a replica of the Globe Theatre opened 300 yards from the original site. 10 things you might not know about Shakespeare’s Globe:
The theatre which opened in 1996 is the third Globe theatre. The first one was built in 1599 and burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical cannon misfired and ignited the thatched roof. Thankfully, according to documentation at the time, no-one died and the only casualty was a man whose breeches caught Fire, but bystanders quickly dealt with the situation by throwing a bottle of ale over him to put out the flames.
A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and stayed open until the London theatre closures of 1642.
Over 300 years later, the actor Sam Wanamaker began the project to recreate a theatre in almost the same spot. It’s approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. The original Globes were a street further back from the river.
Other than that, it’s a fairly accurate reconstruction, using the same types of building materials and methods the Elizabethans would have used. It is made of green Oak, and the timbers are fixed together using wooden pegs. The plaster on the walls contains Goat hair.
Shakespeare’s Globe has an illegal roof. After the Great fire of London, a law was passed banning thatched roofs in London. With the addition of a fire retardant lining, special permission was granted to allow it, so Shakespeare’s Globe is the only building in London to have a thatched roof in over 300 years.
The original Globe was owned by actors, specifically a group called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, of which Shakespeare was a member. The main shareholders were Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert. Shakespeare was one of four others who owned 12 and a half percent of the shares, although as as new shareholders were added, Shakespeare's share diminished to about 7% over the course of his career.
The company was originally based in Shoreditch where Richard and Cuthbert’s father had built a theatre on rented land. This was one of the earliest venues for Shakespeare’s plays. However, when Elizabeth I decided she didn’t like the troupe any more, the landlord cancelled the lease and destroyed the theatre. Legend has it that a bunch of the actors, quite likely including Shakespeare himself, returned while the landlord was away for Christmas, armed with daggers and cudgels and made off with the timber, which they used to build their new theatre in Southwark.
This story forms one of the theories as to why the theatre was called the Globe in the first place. It has been theorised that the name came from the Latin motto tag totus mundus agit histrionem ("all the world plays the player"), or quod fere totus mundus exerceat histrionem ("because all the world is a playground") from Petronius, which may have appeared on the theatre’s flag along with a picture of Hercules carrying the Earth on his shoulders, which could in turn have been a nod to the Herculean feat of Shakespeare and his pals carrying the building materials all the way from Shoreditch.
In Shakespeare’s time, most of the people who made up the audience (paying a penny for standing room only in front of the stage and known as “groundlings”) would not have been able to read, so a sign advertising the play’s title would not have been much use. Hence the theatre would fly flags to indicate what type of play the audience could expect to see. A Black flag indicated a tragedy, a White flag a comedy and a Red flag meant a history play.
Like the originals, the Globe is open to the elements, and really only a suitable venue for plays in the summer. Even in Shakespeare’s time, the company would move to an indoor venue in winter. Today, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse next door is used for the exact same purpose.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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