Shakespeare’s Globe and AUSTRALIA Shakespeare’s Globe is one of the most popular visitor destinations in the UK, at the heart of the regeneration of London’s Bankside. Together the Globe Theatre, Globe Education, Globe Exhibition and Tour offer a unique setting to explore Shakespeare in performance. The Globe has always been an international story, having been built by an American, and welcoming international audiences into its oak embrace throughout its life. It has also sought to take the Globe’s work back out into the world through international touring and education programmes. If you are interested in any of the feature and interview ideas below, please contact Louise Gilbert, Press & PR Officer 2012, Louise.g@shakespearesglobe.com, +44 (0)207 902 1476. Feature and interview ideas for Australia A wide range of resources are available for each of the following feature ideas, including images, design visuals, a tour of the site, workshop footage, HD B-roll footage of the Globe, photographs of staff at work and more. Please contact Louise Gilbert for more information. 1. Speak to Hannah Lobelson from Sydney, Australia. Hannah is Wardrobe Manager at Shakespeare’s Globe. Hannah moved to London in 2004 after studying Fashion at the Fashion Design Studio at The Sydney Institute of Technology. Her first job in London was working for director Steven Spielberg on the film Munich. She started at the Globe as Wardrobe Assistant in 2005 and subsequently became Wardrobe Manager. She has also worked for the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company. This year at the Globe Hannah will work with designer Jenny Tiramani on ‘Original Practice’ costumes - a way of creating Elizabethan clothing today using the same materials and techniques used in Shakespeare's day - which means no velcro, poppers and sewing machines. They use the same dyes, materials, washing practices and hand sewing techniques that were used in the 1600's. Hannah will be working with award-winning actor Mark Rylance for the Globe’s 2012 Theatre season. Mark Rylance will take on two of Shakespeare's major characters - the title role in a new production of Richard III and a reprisal of his widely celebrated performance of Olivia in Twelfth Night, 10 years after its original production; both of which will be staged as 'Original Practices' productions. Q&A with Hannah Lobelson Tell us what you most enjoy about your job. The aspects that I enjoy most about my job have to be the variety and being surrounded by creative people. No day is the same when you're working with live theatre and my job requires me to be very creative and resourceful and to think and act fast. It is very inspiring working in an environment such as Shakespeare's Globe where you are exposed to great artists every day. Everyone is working towards producing the best they can and high standards are always inspiring. I do feel there is an emphasis placed on the costumes at the Globe by our audience and I enjoy producing work that fulfils or even exceeds those expectations. Talk us through what you do on a working day at the Globe when a performance takes place. During the theatre season, Shakespeare's Globe has 13 performances every week which is a large amount of shows for the wardrobe department to support given the size of each show and the array of costumes required for each production. That means there are almost always two performances every day and not necessarily of the same show. We can have up to five different productions being performed in a single week and it is my responsibility to direct the wardrobe department to make sure
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the costumes are ready for each performance and ensure the costume changes during each performance go ahead as rehearsed. There are a further eight people in my department and they are all highly trained with excellent sewing skills, who understand historical dress and the demands of a busy running wardrobe department. The first thing to do in the morning is the laundry from the show the night before and then any repairs or alterations ready for the next performance. The matinee is at 2pm with actors getting into costume about an hour beforehand so the mornings can be a little rushed getting everything cleaned, dried, ironed, starched, repaired, hung in dressing rooms and then dressed onto the actors ready for the show to start. Once the matinee is up, the wardrobe assistants dressing on that show will be backstage doing all the costume changes. Back in the wardrobe department, the afternoon will be spent getting the evening show ready in the same manner as well as looking ahead to preparing new costumes for productions we have starting over the coming weeks. It is certainly never dull and though there is a definite routine, costume emergencies do occur and of course, the show must go on. Explain to us the notion of Original Practices. The term 'Original Practices' in relation to costume, refers to a way of recreating Elizabethan clothing today in as similar a way as possible to the way they were produced during Shakespeare’s lifetime. This was how costumes were produced at Shakespeare’s Globe from 1996 until 2005 under the extraordinary leadership of designer, Jenny Tiramani and her team. Everything was stitched by hand with meticulous attention played even to an actor's undergarments, everything was made using materials and even colours and dyes that could only have existed then. There was no polyester, no zippers, not even hairspray was used and it was a very extraordinary time for our theatre. Today at the Globe, costume is approached in a more modern way, and though we are producing costumes with the silhouette and style of Elizabethan clothing, they are made using a sewing machine, with manmade fabrics and modern fastenings. Each approach is entirely valid and has much to offer the performer and audience. I am only privileged and grateful to have been exposed to both methods and so now I can combine them to give the best outcome for our costumes and our productions. How often do you visit home in Australia? I have been fortunate in being able to return to Australia around once a year since I left Sydney in 2004. It is certainly still home to both my husband and I, and I miss so much about being there. I think it best not to compare Sydney and London as they are so very different. You need to just appreciate each one for the extraordinary things it has to offer and not see the contrast as a shortcoming. Sydney has beautiful things that London never will have and London has fascinating things that Sydney can’t offer. I am happy to be able to experience both cities in such a rewarding way. 2. Shakespeare’s Globe and Royalty in 2012. The eyes of the world are on London throughout 2012 - the year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and the city plays host to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. On rd the 3 June 2012 Shakespeare’s Globe will have a front row seat when Her Majesty the Queen’s celebratory river pageant sails up the River Thames. The historical event will take place on the same day the Globe will celebrate the end of its international Globe to Globe Festival, with a Lithuanian production of Hamlet. Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Philip attended the Royal Gala opening of the th Globe on 12 June 1997. Prince Philip opened the Sackler Studios – Globe Education’s Education and Resource centre in November 2010 and recently attended an event at Buckingham Palace held to raise funds for the development of the Indoor Jacobean Theatre. His Royal Highness Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron of Shakespeare’s Globe. 3. Speak to Dr Farah Karim-Cooper about the Indoor Jacobean Theatre project in development. The Globe’s plans to introduce an Indoor Jacobean Theatre to its already world-famous theatre site on London’s Bankside will be the most complete recreation of an English renaissance indoor theatre yet attempted. It will seat 320 people with two tiers of galleried seating and an historical pit seating area, which will provide a uniquely intimate and intense theatre experience. The theatre will allow
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productions to play throughout the winter, widening the Globe’s repertoire and further completing the understanding of the nature of Jacobean theatre. The Globe intends to open the theatre with its first, programmed winter season in November 2013 and will be an exciting addition to London Theatre. Some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays – The Tempest, Cymbeline and The Winter’s Tale – were written for an entirely different space to the outdoor Elizabethan playhouses like the Globe Theatre. By restoring the Indoor Jacobean Theatre to its intended purpose, the Globe will be able to further its understanding of theatre practices at that time and explore the unique relationship between actor and audience in England’s earliest indoor theatres. Globe Education has an excellent in-house academic department which leads the research for the theatre. The findings and advice from the in-house team, led by Dr Farah Karim-Cooper, Head of Research & Courses, is critical to the project. Dr Farah Karim-Cooper, Head of Research & Courses who was raised in Texas USA is working closely on the project, helping to advise on the design brief and historical research. Farah is available for interview. Q&A with Dr Farah Karim-Cooper What are the highlights of your job? One of the major highlights is being able to work with and share my research with a wide range of audiences: actors, educators, architects as well as students. Another highlight is being involved in the Indoor Theatre project - it is very exciting to sit in the meetings with Globe executives, architects, academics and work collaboratively to re-create another dynamic Shakespearean theatre space. What has been your most memorable moment working at the Globe? Every day it is so different and so memorable. But perhaps the most memorable moment was going to the workshop of McCurdy & Co. for the first time, the timber specialists who built the Globe. To see where the Globe was framed and to meet some of the people whose hands brought it to life was inspiring and nothing short of magical. What are you looking forward to in the future of the Globe? I'm genuinely looking forward to attending plays in the new Indoor Jacobean Theatre space and seeing the completion of our state-of-the-art Library and Archive. 4. Globe Education – a world-class learning resource for students from around the world. Each year more than 100,000 people of all ages and nationalities participate in Globe Education’s programme of events, workshops and courses lead by top theatre practitioners and Shakespeare scholars. Globe Education believes that the best way to learn about the works of Shakespeare is by enjoying them, and have created playful and play-filled ways to experience Shakespeare in action. Interviews with Patrick Spottiswoode (Director, Education), Jamie Arden (Head of Operations & Events), Dr Farah Karim-Cooper (Head of Courses & Research) and Fiona Banks (Head of Learning) are available upon request. 5. Shakespeare’s Globe – its influence on theatre practice and the unique audience experience it offers. What was it like to experience London theatre in the 1600s? How does the open air and shared light affect actors’ performances and the audience’s experiences today? How does the space challenge a modern day director? What is it like to stand in the yard to watch a performance? How does it feel for audiences to interact with the actors? The Globe offers something completely unique for directors, actors and audiences alike. Not only is it an inspiring and distinctive theatrical space, but also a top London tourist attraction, welcoming
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hundreds of thousands of international visitors a year. What makes the Globe so distinct and successful? Interviews with theatre practitioners are available upon request. 6. Talk to the Globe’s leading creatives about the Globe to Globe Festival. Artistic Director, Dominic Dromgoole and Festival Director, Tom Bird, are available to discuss the rd th Globe to Globe Festival which plays from 23 April to 9 June 2012 and welcomes 36 international theatre companies to the Globe. One of the most ambitious Shakespeare Festivals of all time, all 37 Shakespeare plays will be performed in 37 languages in just six weeks, forming a wonderful celebration of London’s Olympic year and the world’s love for Shakespeare’s work. rd
The festival will open with a production of Troilus and Cressida in Maori by Ngākau Toa on the 23 April. Dominic and Tom also offer the chance to talk about the Globe in general, and its future. 7. London and Shakespeare’s Globe – the perfect learning holiday destination.
As learning holidays become more popular than ever, London and Shakespeare’s Globe offers the ideal combination of enjoyment and education. For those interested in history, literature, performance, architecture, costume or Shakespeare himself, the Globe is an inspiring setting to explore and learn during a visit to London. The Globe’s expert tour guides provide a fascinating tour of the iconic theatre and auditorium and bring to life colourful stories of the 1599 Globe, while the exhibition presents live th demonstrations of sword-fighting, costume dressings and printing on 17 Century press. The audio guide enhances the visitor experience with six languages available – French, Italian, German, Spanish, English and Japanese. Situated on Bankside along the River Thames with beautiful views looking towards St Paul’s Cathedral, the Globe also has a reputation for being one of the most romantic places to visit in London. 8. Interview a Globe actor about their pre-show rituals and find out how they physically and psychologically prepare themselves to step into character. As the Olympic and Paralympic Games move ever closer, athletes will have their pre-competition rituals to help take their game to the next level. This summer, while athletes are warming up for one of the most important performances of their career, actors across London will be doing precisely the same in the world of theatre. It’s often surprising how actors chose to warm up physically and mentally before taking to the stage to ensure give the audience a compelling and memorable performance. If you would like to talk to a Globe actor about their rituals and psychological preparations and how they compare it to that of an athlete, please contact the press office. 9. Speak to Peter McCurdy, Master Craftsman of Shakespeare’s Globe – a unique architectural experiment and an iconic London landmark. McCurdy & Co. were closely involved in the authentic reconstruction of Shakespeare's original 'wooden O', carrying out much of the early research and analysis together with the detailed design and fabrication of the entire oak frame. As there were no building records in existence the Globe team had to rely on historic reference material, Peter McCurdy's own knowledge of carpentry methodology of the period and analysis of the relevant contemporary buildings to help determine the overall design. Peter is currently working with the Architecture Research Group on the development of the Indoor Jacobean Theatre, which is set to open on site in 2013. Peter will advise on reconstruction issues and how they relate to achieving a faithful Jacobean interior, and to ensure that a successful fusion of modern codes and licensing requirements with historical accuracy can be achieved. Since opening in 1997, Shakespeare’s Globe has become an iconic landmark of international recognition and its distinctive performance space offers audiences and actors an experience like no other. If you would like to speak to Peter McCurdy about the part he played in bringing the building to fruition and his work on the Indoor Jacobean Theatre, please contact the press office. Further information on feature and interview ideas and extensive background information on Shakespeare’s Globe can be found at http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/press/releases
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Photographs and HD footage of the Globe and performances are available free of charge for editorial use at http://press.shakespearesglobe.com/ To arrange an interview or for any other information please contact Louise Gilbert, Press & PR Officer 2012, Louise.g@shakespearesglobe.com, +44 (0)207 902 1476.
Shakespeare’s Globe Photo by Pawel Libera
Dr Farah Karim-Cooper Photo by Bronwen Sharp
Shakespeare’s Globe Photo by Pawel Libera
The shell of the Indoor Jacobean Theatre Photo by Nick Robins
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