2013 Theatre Season
3 New Plays
2 Tempests, 2 Lears
Season of
8 Shakespeare Plays
plenty 5 Touring Productions
4 International Productions
The Globe continues to bustle in the world.
L
design Small Back Room The Shakespeare Globe Trust, a limited company registered in England and Wales No.1152238 and a registered charity No.266916. Shakespeare Globe Trading Limited registered charity in England and Wales No.997433.
ast year we invited the world to visit us, and who could have anticipated the sheer wild joy with which so many companies played within our wooden walls? The Globe to Globe festival was a defining moment for us, and for many of the companies that visited. It defined that live theatre remains one of the last best places for people to meet, celebrate and understand each other. And we went out to meet the world – touring from Romania to Shaftesbury Avenue to Mexico City, with our films extending our reach even further. We’re not quite putting a girdle around the earth in forty minutes yet, but hopefully we are keeping its conversation lively. We so adored the festival atmosphere that reigned during Globe to Globe that we resolved to maintain the same consistency of surprise through 2013. People have often said that the Globe is like a rock concert, or Glastonbury, and that sense of liveness and event can still thrill the blood, all the more so in an age that veers off towards the virtual. The plays this year share themes of enchantment, elation and extreme emotion. Our three principal Shakespeares, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth, are his three plays which deal most directly with the supernatural. Spirits, fairies, ghosts and witches flit and fly through each play bringing euphoria or terror. Extreme narrative excitement pulsates through the three plays about Henry VI, Shakespeare’s most unabashed celebration of pure story. We are opening these three distinct plays in York, then touring them to theatres and battlefields, before bringing them with great pride into our Globe for the first time. Different shades of enchantment course through our new plays. Gabriel, by Samuel Adamson, celebrates the transporting power of music, as exemplified by the trumpet
in the late seventeenth century, and as made manifest by the extraordinary Alison Balsom. Blue Stockings, by Jessica Swale, exalts the giddy intellectual delights of higher education, and the prejudice and myopia which denied them to one entire gender for so long. And The Lightning Child, from Ché Walker the author of The Frontline, riffs on the grand-daddy of plays about ecstasy, that celebration of healthy and deranging hysteria, The Bacchae by Euripides. Our two new small-scale tours, which are so large a feature of our summers now, both here and elsewhere, keep the season boiling with extreme despair in King Lear, and knockabout fun with The Taming of the Shrew. And to complete the festivities, and recapture some of the magic of the year past, we are delighted to be hosting again three of the most stellar Globe to Globe shows, Venus and Adonis; a feast of song and dance from South Africa; the most delightful As You Like It you will ever see from Georgia, and the most terrifying King Lear from Belarus Free Theatre. All this and Footsbarn too, retuning with their Indian Tempest. The exuberance and imagination with which these companies filled our auditorium proved the most massive tonic, and I urge you to see those shows on their return. All sorts of magic, and all sorts of enchantment, will always fill a Shakespearean theatre, and this year it promises to be in abundant supply. But nothing beats the natural and rough magic which occurs every time we open our doors, the magic of imagination and collaboration between our actors and you, our audience. Please come and enjoy these old and new stories afresh in 2013.
Dominic Dromgoole Artistic Director
The tempest P
rospero, Duke of Milan, usurped and exiled by his own brother, holds sway over an enchanted island. He is comforted by his daughter Miranda and served by his spirit Ariel and his deformed slave Caliban. When Prospero raises a storm to wreck this perfidious brother and his confederates on the island, his longcontemplated revenge at last seems within reach. Inspired by reports of the first English colonies in the West Indies and imbued with a spirit of magic and the supernatural, The Tempest is Shakespeare’s late great masterpiece of forgiveness, generosity and enlightenment. Jeremy Herrin’s previous work for Shakespeare’s Globe includes 2011’s much loved Much Ado About Nothing. This production will employ Renaissance costumes and staging.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
directed by
Jeremy Herrin
Composed by
Stephen Warbeck From 23 April #Tempest
A Midsummer Night’s Dream H
ermia loves Lysander and Helena loves Demetrius – but Demetrius is supposed to be marrying Hermia… When the Duke of Athens tries to enforce the marriage, the lovers take refuge in the woods and wander into the midst of a dispute between the king and queen of the fairies. Shakespeare put some of his most dazzling dramatic poetry at the service of this teasing, glittering, hilarious and amazingly inventive play, whose seriousness is only fleetingly glimpsed beneath its dreamlike surface. This production will employ Renaissance costumes and staging.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
directed by
Dominic Dromgoole
Designed by
Jonathan Fensom
Composed by
Claire van Kampen From 24 May #Midsummer
Macbeth W
hen three witches tell Macbeth that he is destined to occupy the throne of Scotland, he and his wife choose to become the instruments of their fate and to kill the first man standing in their path, the virtuous King Duncan. But to maintain his position, Macbeth must keep on killing – first Banquo, his old comrade-in-arms; then, as the atmosphere of guilt and paranoia thickens, anyone who seems to threaten his tyrant’s crown. From its mesmerising first moments to the last fulfilment of the witches’ prophecy, Shakespeare’s gripping account of the profoundest engagement with the forces of evil enthrals the imagination. This production will employ Renaissance costumes and staging. WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare From 22 June #Macbeth
Venus & Adonis
Isango Ensemble, Cape Town, South Africa
T
he Isango Ensemble, drawn from townships throughout South Africa, bring back their joyously energetic dramatisation of Shakespeare’s poem of love and longing.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
Performed in
English, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, SeSotho, Setswana and Afrikaans From 29 April to 4 May
As You Like It
Marjanishvili Theatre, Tbilisi, Georgia
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
L
eaves, umbrellas, balloons, comedy sheep… This wonderful company returns to the Globe with its humane, unforgettably poetic production of this firm favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies.
‘joyous, rhythmic, energetic’
Performed in
Georgian with scene synopses in English From 6 to 11 May
‘irresistible, exquisite, charming’
Evening Standard
The Guardian
‘World-class’
‘zest, hilarity and celebration’
The Independent
The Arts Desk
‘ingenious’
‘beautiful’
The Arts Desk
What’s On Stage
‘A blaze of colour and movement’
Theatrical Event of 2012 returns
Indian Tempest
Footsbarn, Allier, France
F
ootsbarn return to the Globe with their heady mix of street theatre, circus, mime, shadow play and carnival. With Indian and European actors and a strong flavour of Kerala, Indian Tempest brings together magic and illusion, desire and romantic love, dreams and ambition, as well as treachery and torment – all with more than a dash of comedy.
‘joyously eccentric, wondrously witty’ The Independent on Footbarn’s Christmas Cracker
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
Performed in
English, Malayalam, French and Sanskrit From 29 July to 3 August
‘it’s pleasure and magic’ The Irish Times on Footsbarn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
‘Utterly joyful’ The Guardian on Footsbarn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Daily Telegraph #G2G
King Lear
Belarus Free Theatre, Minsk, Belarus
S
hakespeare’s great play about speaking the truth is performed by a company forced to hold their performances in their home country in secret under Europe’s last dictatorship. A second chance to see a towering performance from last year’s Globe to Globe festival performed by the world’s bravest theatre company.
Contains nudity.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
Performed in
Belarusian with scene synopses in English From 23 to 28 September
‘energetic... extraordinary... charming’ The Guardian
‘bold, irreverent and provocative’ Exeunt
‘Thrilling’ Financial Times
Alison balsom
Gabriel I
n an unprecedented musical and theatrical event, Alison Balsom, one of the world’s finest trumpeters, and award-winning writer Samuel Adamson explore the notion that the natural (valveless) trumpet was the supreme musical instrument of the Restoration. With music by Purcell and Handel, the text brings to the stage real and imagined characters including Mary II and Queen Anne as well as the trumpet-makers, musicians, composers, patrons and audiences of the teeming musical scene in late seventeenthcentury London. Intersecting plays, instrumentals, songs and poems will bring to life this glorious pageant of the Baroque period, the time when the trumpet began to ‘sing’, and express in its uniquely celebratory fashion the turning points in human experience: birth, war, love and death. Written by
Samuel Adamson
‘She makes the trumpet sing with an irresistible exuberance and eloquence’ The Times
‘Occasionally a player comes along who turns all the preconceived ideas about their instrument on their head and reinvents the repertoire’ Classic FM
directed by
Dominic Dromgoole
Designed by
Jonathan Fensom
Starring
Alison Balsom
From 13 July #AlisonBalsom
HENRY VI
The Houses of York and L ancaster
T
T
THREE PLAYS
he plays which make up Shakespeare’s Henry VI create a world without ideology; a savage time, when the heroes are not kings, but formidable women, such as Joan of Arc, or rebels, such as Jack Cade. Bold characterisation, black comedy, rhetorical power and, in the personality of Henry VI, touching pathos combine in Shakespeare’s powerful rendering of a country racked by civil war. Shakespeare almost certainly did not set out to write a trilogy. Each play can be enjoyed without knowledge of the others.
HARRY THE SIXTH F
ollowing the death of Henry V, celebrated for having united England and subjugated France, divisions appear at the highest levels – first between those around the infant Henry VI, later between the two great factions in English politics: the houses of Lancaster and York. Only the young Lord Talbot, locked in combat with the bewitching and enigmatic Joan of Arc, seems capable of redeeming a divided and dishonoured kingdom.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare
directed by
Nick Bagnall Playing at the Globe and touring the UK From 23 July
he saintly Henry VI is undermined by his nobles, especially the ambitious Richard, Duke of York, and by the Kentish rebellion, led by the charismatic Jack Cade, popular champion and savage critic of England’s social inequality.
#HenryVI
THE TRUE TRAGEDY OF THE DUKE OF YORK A
bloody power struggle opens up between the King’s party, led by the fearsome Queen Margaret, and the Yorkists, led first by Richard, then his sons Edward and ‘that lump of foul deformity’, Richard of Gloucester.
blue stockings C
ambridge 1896, and Girton College, home to the country’s first female students, is an object of annoyance and derision to the rest of the university. The year’s intake of new women face economic difficulty, the distractions of men and radical politics, and the jaw-dropping prejudice that blights every aspect of academic life. Meanwhile, there looms the prospect of a controversial vote to decide: should these ‘blue stockings’ be allowed to graduate? A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage. John Dove’s previous productions for Shakespeare’s Globe include, In Extremis, Anne Boleyn and All’s Well That Ends Well.
WRITTEN by
Jessica Swale
directed by John Dove
From 24 August #BlueStockings
The Lightning Child A remix of Euripides’ The Bacchae
I
WRITTEN by Ché Walker
directed by
Matthew Dunster
Designed by Paul Wills
Songs by Arthur Darvill From 14 September #LightningChild
‘Ché Walker’s terrific modern play... a lifeaffirming show that celebrates our common humanity’ Time Out on The Frontline 2009
‘Matthew Dunster’s superbly orchestrated production ... is a lively rumble in the urban jumble’ The Times on The Frontline 2008
n ancient Thebes – or is it contemporary London? – worshippers gather to join the orgiastic rites honouring Dionysus. Only the disapproving, woman-hating Pentheus seeks to put a stop to the fun. Elsewhere, in this ancient/modern city, the addicts Drax and Shug and the musician Louise and her flatmate Antonia are drawn towards their own forms of retribution. From the inventive and anarchic team who brought The Frontline to the Globe in 2008 and 2009 comes a modern take on Euripides’ The Bacchae, combining crossdressing, drug abuse, internet porn and classical myth, all told with a Shakespearean disregard for the usual conventions of time and place.
Contains filthy language and strong content.
King Lear O
ld King Lear, weary of royal duties, proposes to break up his kingdom and divide it among his three daughters. But this rash generosity is cruelly repaid and Lear discovers too late the false values by which he has lived – and, in turn, the suffering common to all humanity. Its tempestuous poetry shot through with touches of humour and moments of heart-rending simplicity, King Lear is one of the deepest artistic explorations of the human condition. Performed at the Globe and touring on an Elizabethan-style stage.
The Taming of the Shrew WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare Playing at the Globe and touring the UK, Europe and Asia. From 13 May #Lear
T
wo wealthy sisters in Padua must be married off. The modest, demure Bianca has no shortage of suitors, but who on earth will take the wild, ungovernable, ‘shrewish’ Katherina? Perhaps the gold-digging Petruchio, as maddeningly strongwilled and perverse as Katherina herself, will be equal to the task of bullying her to the altar. Shakespeare’s outrageous comedy introduces one of the theatre’s great screwball double-acts, a couple hellbent on confusing and outwitting each other right up to its controversial conclusion. Performed at the Globe and touring on an Elizabethan-style stage.
WRITTEN by
William Shakespeare Playing at the Globe and touring the UK, Europe and Asia. From 10 June #Shrew
EVENTS COMEDY STORE PLAYERS
Setting the Scene
Saturday Study Days
The Comedy Store Players return to the Globe with a stunning line up of six comedians presenting a night of hilarious and improvised comedy.
Leading scholars provide introductions to the evening play, illustrated by Globe actors.
A day of workshops and seminars with Globe Theatre Artists and leading Shakespeare Scholars.
Tickets: £7 (£5 FoSG/ concs/students).
Tickets: £50 (£40 FoSG/ concs/students).
Tickets: £5-£39
Talking Theatre
Perspectives
Sonnet Walks
Chaired Q&As with members of the theatre company.
Platform discussions providing further insights to the season’s new writes and John Wolfson (Honorary Curator of Rare Books, Shakespeare’s Globe) exploring the three parts of Henry VI.
DVDs out now
Monday 22 July 8pm
Shakespeare’s Globe, in partnership with Phoebus Cart, continues the tradition of Mark Rylance’s Sonnet Walks. Take a stroll through historic London to the Globe, meeting actors along the way who will charm you with Shakespeare sonnets and speeches.
Tickets: £3 (£2 FoSG/ concs/students).
Childsplay Workshops for 8 –11 year olds exploring the matinee performances with a visit to see some of the show.
Tickets: £18 (£14 FoSG, £16 concs).
Rarely Played
Shakespeare Found In Translation
Inspiring and engaging introductions to the Read Not Dead performance.
Walks set off every 15 minutes from 10am until 12.45pm. All tickets must be booked in advance.
Exploring translations of Shakespeare through Q&As and discussions of the Globe to Globe productions returning to Globe.
Shakespeare’s Birthday
Tickets: £7 (£5 FoSG/ concs/students).
An afternoon of family events, games and musical mayhem. Join the party in our fascinating exhibition and extraordinary theatre. Sunday 21 April Tickets: Free
Featuring Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well, Doctor Faustus and Kings and Rogues box set.
Tickets: £10 (£8 FoSG/ concs/students).
Tickets: £15
Saturday 20 April 10am
Out now in the Globe Shop
£19.99 each £49.99 box set
shakespearesglobe.com/shop
Tickets: £15 (£13 FoSG/ concs/students). Includes a ticket to the Read Not Dead performance
Read Not Dead Performances with scripts of rarely performed plays that complement the theatre season. Tickets: £10 (£8 FoSG/ concs/students).
Visit the shop
in store and online
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6916
15 plays
There’s plenty to go around
We’ll sing to that