Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Set to Pop Up in Auckland
Next April, it will be 400 years since one of the greatest playwrights and poets known to man passed away.
To pay tribute to "The Bard" himself, a brood of dedicated Shakespeareans will erect a full scale, temporary, working replica of the second Globe Theatre. Over ten weeks in the summer of 2016, the pop-up is set to appear in a central Auckland location. It will seat 1000 people, and offer a full programme of performances as well as an education and outreach package.
Thanks to some quadratum mathematics, research undertaken by world expert Tim Fitzpatrick and the driving force of UK-trained doctor of Shakespeare, Miles Gregory, the structure will be identical to the Globe theatre built on London’s South Bank in 1614. The donut-shaped polygonal building will be made from honest, simple reusable materials - scaffolding, plywood, paint - and will stand three stories high, with three tiers of audience seating.
Also endeavouring to recreate the experience of a night out at the 16th century theatre, the Globe will see around half the audience stand in the ‘yard’ to watch the performances; the remainder of the audience will be seated on tiers around the sides of the structure. There will be an equal amount of light on the audience and actors, and performances will continue in all weather conditions, which may prove interesting due to the lack of roof.
Performances will be scheduled for evenings, seven nights a week, for the duration of the project, including: legendary tragedy Romeo & Juliet, comedy Twelfth Night and the world premiere of Maori Midsummer Night’s Dream, a specially translated version of the Shakespeare classic. Pop-up Globe will also present music and comedy performances, alternative nights and unusual one-off events.
After appearing in Auckland, the theatre will tour the world.
Creators of the Pop-up Globe are currently crowd funding to cover construction costs and production of the 2016 season. More info here.
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