Auckland's Full-Scale Globe Theatre Has Announced Its First Winter Season

In cahoots with Auckland Tourism's new winter festival, Elemental AKL, in an effort to make the city a more vibrant and compelling place to visit and spend time in during the colder months, the Pop-Up Globe will return to Auckland for its first winter season. From 8 July, the full-scale replica of the second Globe Theatre will come back to life at Ellerslie Racecourse — a location which attracted 600,000 playgoers over the past three years.

Previously limited to the summer months due to its open-sky construction, a new roof will transform the theatre into an all-weather venue. The company is currently searching for a young New Zealand artist to help create a stunning design for the brand new ceiling.

The 2019 winter season will welcome a lineup of six shows including new full-scale productions of shipwreck comedy Twelfth Night and Middleton's farcical gem The Roaring Girl. Summer shows Measure for Measure and Hamlet will return for short runs in August before they continue to tour New Zealand. A family friendly version of Midsummer Night's Dream will play daily during the July school holidays, and the Pop-Up Globe Youth Theatre Company, made up of young people aged 15-24, will present their debut production, the pop-comedy The Two Gentlemen Of Verona.

For those who missed out on the last three seasons, the three-storey building seats 900 theatregoers over three tiers and includes standing room for 'groundlings' to recreate the experience of a night out at the 17th century theatre. It will again feature all the spectacular theatrical trickery of the Jacobean era, including cannons, flaming arrows, litres of fake blood and beautiful period costumes constructed by the in-house wardrobe department.

The Pop-Up Globe 2019 winter season will return from 8 July. For more information and tickets, visit popupglobe.co.nz.

Image: Jay Wennington.