Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition is the world's largest exhibition devoted to Shakespeare and the London in which he lived and worked. Housed beneath the reconstructed Globe Theatre on London's Bankside, the exhibition explores the remarkable story of the Globe, and brings Shakespeare's world to life using a range of interactive displays and live demonstrations.
Visitors to the exhibition can discover how shows were produced in the theatres of Shakespeare's time, from writing and rehearsals to music, dance and performance. There are opportunities to learn about the traditional crafts and techniques used during the process of rebuilding the Globe; to find out how special effects were produced in Shakespeare's time, to listen to recordings from some of the most memorable Shakespearean performances ever, or join the cast and add your own voice to a scene recorded by Globe actors; to create your own Shakespearean phrases in the word jungle; to watch a sword-fighting display and browse the costume collection, where you can learn about the extraordinary methods used in creating clothes 400 years ago.
A visit to the Exhibition includes a guided tour of the theatre where expert guide-storytellers provide fascinating half hour tours of the auditorium, taking visitors on a journey through time back to Elizabethan London as well as the reconstruction process of the 1980's-90's and how the wooden 'o' works today as an imaginative and experimental theatrical space.
An exhibition visit and theatre tour lasts about one and a half hours. Information sheets are available in English, large print, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Chinese and Japanese.
NB: There is no access to the theatre during matinee performances. Visitors will be taken to the nearby archaeological site of the Rose Theatre, Bankside's first playhouse.
