AceHistoryDesk – Stood on London’s vibrant South Bank, the Globe Theatre’s Elizabethan whitewashed walls and dark beams certainly make it stand out from the crowd. Home of Shakespeare’s greatest works, the drama of the Globe extends far beyond the stage. From its cloak-and-dagger construction to its modern-day reimagining – here are 14 interesting facts about the Globe Theatre.

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1. It was built by actors 

Joined by Shakespeare in 1594, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men were a ‘playing company’ led by actor Richard Burbage. 

Originally based out of a venue in Shoreditch, disaster struck when the troupe fell out of favour with Queen Elizabeth I. Not wanting any part of the drama, the company’s landlord Giles Alleyn chose to cancel the troupe’s lease and tear down the theatre that Burbage’s father had built on the rented land. 

The Chamberlain’s Men chose to build their own theatre at a new location across the Thames.

2. Its construction was considered a crime 

The venue drama didn’t end with Burbage and his crew simply changing location, however. If Alleyn was unhappy with his ousted tenants before, he certainly hated them after what happened next. 

The story goes, in the middle of the night, Burbage and other members of the crew secretly deconstructed the theatre, carrying as much as they could from the location in Shoreditch, across the Thames, and to the new site. 

3. The name was inspired by Greek myth 

Carrying a whole theatre across London in the dead of night would have been no easy feat. It’s no wonder then that they named the theatre ‘The Globe’ as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the ancient Greek myth of Hercules lifting the world on his back. 

4. Shakespeare was one of the original investors 

Of course, sheer strength and willpower alone wouldn’t help the Globe become an established theatre. The Chamberlain’s Men also needed money. Investors, like Shakespeare, were invited to fund the theatre in exchange for a percentage of ownership. For £10, the bard received a 12.5% share of the theatre.

5. It held a lot of people

At its height, the three-story building could host as many as 3,000 audience members. Much like a theatre today, each area of the theatre had its draws and drawbacks. 

The area closest to the stage was the cheapest spot, with tickets costing only a penny. It was standing room only, and with so many patrons to fit in, it was tightly packed. In the summer, it gained a reputation for its foul odours thanks to a lack of toilets, discarded food left to rot, and the poor hygiene of its patrons. 

Wealthier patrons could find themselves in the galleries at the edge of the theatre, with prices for each performance increasing the further away you got from the smells by the stage. The best seats in the house were on the top floor, furthest away from the stage. 

6. No girls allowed 

While women might have gotten away with acting in street plays and performances, it was considered indecent and dangerous for women to tread the boards at the theatre and was illegal until 1661. Female characters were instead played by young boys. 

7. Colour coded flags 

Not all of the Globe’s patrons had access to education, meaning that most of the audience was unable to read or write. This made advertising new plays difficult, so the theatre used a flag system that enabled people to see which type of show they would see. Black flags signified that the play that day was a tragedy, while white flags represented a comedy and red flags were for history.

8. There’s more than one Globe Theatre 

While it might look the part, the Globe Theatre you can spot by the river today isn’t the original building. It is the third version of the playhouse to exist in London. Outside of England, there are more than 15 replicas all around the world. 

9. The first Globe was burned down by Henry VIII 

History buffs here might spot that this should be technically impossible. After all, Henry VIII died 20 years before Shakespeare was born. So how could he have burned down a theatre that Shakespeare helped build? 

The truth is that during a performance of Shakespeare’s historical play Henry VIII, the Globe met its first demise. It just took a tiny spark from firing an onstage cannon to start a flame that spread fast through the timber and thatch structure. It took just two hours to burn to the ground. Thankfully, it only took a year to rebuild the theatre. 

10. The second theatre was eventually outlawed 

Following the First English Civil War, the Puritan Long Parliament prohibited drama and ordered all theatres in London shut their doors. 

The Globe was turned into tenement buildings, but by the time the ban was lifted by King Charles II in 1660, the theatre had already been torn down.

11. The original site was discovered under a car park

The original remains of the Globe were discovered in 1989, hidden under a car park. Unfortunately, most of what remains is under the foundations of an unstable building, meaning that there’s not going to be an in-depth excavation of the site any time soon. 

12. It’s not round 

For centuries it was believed that the Globe Theatre was round, but the foundations discovered in 1989 revealed that the building was an icosagon – or a 20-sided polygon. 

13. New Globe built in 1997 

It took nearly 400 years for the Globe to make a return. Thanks to American actor and Director Sam Wanamaker, the iconic theatre was rebuilt just 200 meters away from the site of the original theatre. 

The new Globe Theatre was designed to be as historically accurate as its previous counterparts and was built using the same techniques that would have been used in Tudor England. 1,000 green oak trees were felled from English forests to supply the necessary timber, and the iconic thatched roof took 6,000 bundles of reeds from Norfolk to complete.

14. The roof is illegal

The classic techniques and historical accuracy of the new theatre were nearly a reason for it not being built. Thanks to a law enacted following the Great Fire of London in 1666, no new buildings in London were allowed to be built using thatch for the roof.

Thankfully, an exception was made, making the Globe the only thatched roof built in London in over 350 years. 

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