Globe Theatre: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

There have been several Globe Theatres in London.

1. The original Shakespeare Globe Theatre (see below).
2. There was a Globe Theatre (possibly named after the original Shakespeare Theatre) in Newcastle Street, that opened in 1868 and was demolished about 1902. Globe Theatre, Newcastle Street, Strand. A compact little theatre, with a semi-circular salle half below ground. It has passed through too many vicissitudes, and has been under too many different managements, to have acquired any specialty. Also known as Royal Globe Theatre and Globe Theatre Royal. See Globe Theatre - Arthur Lloyd site
3. Prior to the opening of the new Globe theatre in 1997 there had also been a West End Globe Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue. It was renamed the Gielgud Theatre in 1995, after John Gielgud. Formerly it was the Hicks Theatre (1906-1909) and the Globe Theatre (1909-1994).
4. New Shakespeare Globe Theatre - 1997

Shakespeare's Globe Theatres

The original Globe Theatre was an Elizabethan theatre, built about 1598, in London's Bankside district. It was one of four major theatres in the area, the others being the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope. Several of William Shakespeare's plays were originally staged there.

The Globe burned to the ground in 1613, apparently set on fire by a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII that ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. It was rebuilt immediately, this time with a tiled roof, and reopened in July of the following year.

Like all other theatres, it was closed down by the Puritans in 1642, and it was destroyed in 1644 to make room for tenements.

At the instigation of Sam Wanamaker, a new Globe theatre was built according to an Elizabethan plan. It opened in 1997.

The new theatre is 200 yards from the original site, and was the first thatched-roof building permitted in London since the Great Fire of London of 1666. The original plan was modified by the addition of sprinklers on the roof, to protect against fire.

As in the original, both the stage and the audience are outdoors. Plays are put on during the summer, and in the winter the theatre is used for educational purposes, and tours are available.