The first part of our visit was a brief tour of the Globe itself, discussing what makes the theatre unique, and what it would have been like in Shakespeare’s day. We touched briefly on the context of the early 17th century – from Elizabeth I’s uncertain succession to the role of the Globe as one of very few third spaces of the time – and had the opportunity to enter the space. Here, we learnt about the practicalities of the theatre: discussions over the roof over the stage, the difficulties implementing modern technology, the logistics of switching between two productions every day.
After our tour, we were able to look at Hamlet in more detail, making use of the Globe’s incredible archive of productions. It was fascinating to discuss the different creative decisions made in each production, and how a single play can be so completely transformed by a director’s vision. Some standout productions we were able to watch clips of were the 2000 Mark Rylance production, which was designed to be as traditional as possible, from costume to acting style, and the ‘Globe to Globe Hamlet’ production, which would go on to tour almost 200 countries in 2 years.
Afterwards, we were able to put these creative decisions into practice, reading monologues and performing scenes. We watched scenes transform based on small details, such as the infamous ‘Get thee to a nunnery’ scene based on whether or not Hamlet knew Polonius was watching.