Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a theater located on the banks of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Southwark.

The original theater was built in 1599 by Peter Street and had a capacity of over 3000 people. The theater was unique due to its globular shape and a lack of roof allowing the stage to be lit directly by sunlight. In cosequence, due to adverse weather conditions throughout the rest of the year, the performances were staged only in the summer months.

The Globe was the setting for all of Shakespeare's plays. The rectangular stage protruding from the building and located five feet above ground level was about 13 meters wide and 8 feet deep. It had two hatches which allowed for the appearance and disappearance of characters, mostly the supernatural ones like the ghost of Hamlet. Also, a trapdoor in the ceiling allowed for the appearance of divine personages.

In 1613 the building was destroyed in a fire and although it was later rebuilt, the English government forbade performances in the theater. In 1644 the theatre was demolished. It was not until 1997 that it was rebuilt just about 200 meters from the original theater and was given the name of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Like in the past, the plays in the theatre are staged only in the summer months.