Shakespeare's Globe, London

The striking thing about Shakespeare’s Globe is that this open-air theatre is a modern reconstruction of the playhouse where Shakespeare’s works were performed. Its circular form gathers a projecting stage and tiered seating around an uncovered yard, creating an intimate relationship between actors and audience. The building was completed in 1997, and Queen Elizabeth II attended its official opening.

It stands on London’s south bank of the Thames, in Southwark, about 230 metres from the site of the earlier theatre. Sam Wanamaker established the project, and Pentagram was its architect. The reconstruction follows research into the Elizabethan building, while adapting its design to modern requirements.

English oak, traditional joinery and a thatched roof give the structure the character of a timber playhouse rather than a conventional modern auditorium. The Globe’s theatrical season focuses on Shakespeare, while other productions also appear during the summer. The complex includes the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a smaller indoor venue lit by candles and shaped by historical plans for a Jacobean theatre. The result is not simply a place to watch a play: it recreates a performance setting in which daylight, live music and direct contact between performers and spectators are part of the experience.