Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition

Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition
en:Wenceslaus Hollar · Public domain · source
Name	Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition
Established	1990s
Location	Bankside, London
Type	Theatre museum, cultural history
Director	Emma Rice
Website	Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition

The Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition is a museum and interpretive display adjacent to the reconstructed Globe Theatre on Bankside, London, presenting the life, work, performance practice, and material culture surrounding William Shakespeare and the theatrical world of Elizabeth I and James I. The Exhibition operates in close association with the modern Globe complex, linking theatrical reconstruction to primary sources such as the First Folio, archaeological finds from Southwark, and documentary records from The National Archives. It connects visitors to performers, printers, and patrons including Richard Burbage, Edward Alleyn, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and members of the Lord Chamberlain's Men through physical objects, facsimiles, and interpretive media.

History

The Exhibition grew from late 20th-century scholarship on William Shakespeare and the practical reconstruction movement led by figures connected to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse project and the campaign to rebuild a faithful Globe by the Shakespeare Globe Trust. Its development intersected with major cultural moments such as the Festival of Britain revivalist impulses and the heritage boom of the 1990s, attracting funding bodies including the Heritage Lottery Fund and patrons from institutions like the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Archaeological excavations on Bankside—notably campaigns supervised by the Museum of London—informed display narratives by providing artefacts comparable to finds from the Rose Theatre and the Beargarden. The Exhibition's programming has responded to anniversaries tied to the First Folio and international touring seasons featuring companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

Exhibits and Collections

Displays juxtapose documentary materials—facsimiles of the First Folio, playbills associated with the Admiral's Men, promptbooks from the King's Men, and records from the Stationers' Company—with material culture like costuming influenced by inventories of the Lord Chamberlain's Men and stage machinery echoing designs from Inigo Jones and contemporary masques for Henry VIII and Charles I. The collection features reproductions of musical sources related to John Dowland, Thomas Morley, and song settings used in productions of As You Like It and Twelfth Night, while multimedia installations reference productions staged by Peter Brook, Trevor Nunn, and Garry Hynes. Curatorial narratives draw on scholarship from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Bodleian Library, the British Library, and papers connected to collectors such as Sir Thomas Hanmer and Nicholas Rowe.

Building and Architecture

The Exhibition is housed in purpose-designed gallery spaces adjacent to a timber-framed, open-air reconstruction influenced by the 1599 Globe Theatre and archaeological evidence from sites like the Rose Theatre. Architectural references include the timber techniques of Peter Wood, the conservation principles advocated by John Ruskin and later heritage professionals at the Institute of Conservation, and building conservation case studies from the Historic England register. The reconstructed Globe draws on plans used in projects for the Swan Theatre and the Globe Theatre (New York) while integrating modern interventions for accessibility guided by standards from the Chartered Institute of Building and London planning authorities including Southwark London Borough Council.

Educational Programs and Outreach

The Exhibition runs programs in partnership with universities and institutions such as the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the Royal Holloway, University of London, and the Open University, offering workshops on early modern performance, book history, and stagecraft. It collaborates with theatres and companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and community ensembles inspired by the Globe Education model; teacher training links to curricula referencing the English Baccalaureate and examination boards like AQA and OCR. Outreach initiatives engage youth schemes modeled on Learning through Landscapes partnerships and conservation apprenticeships connected to the Heritage Lottery Fund and professional bodies such as the Society for Theatre Research.

Visitor Information and Experience

Visitors encounter interpretive routes combining gallery labels, audio guides referencing scholarship from the Folger Shakespeare Library and the British Library, tactile reconstructions of early modern costumes informed by collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and live demonstrations by actors and artisans with links to companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company and practitioners trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Ticketing, retail, and membership arrangements are managed alongside seasonal festivals that coordinate with events such as the Notting Hill Carnival-era summer programming and international exchanges with venues like the Sydney Theatre Company and the Stratford Festival (Ontario). Accessibility services reflect guidance from Scope (charity) and Arts Council England funding frameworks.

Research and Conservation

Curators and conservators at the Exhibition collaborate with conservation scientists at the Courtauld Institute of Art and laboratories associated with the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum to study pigments, textiles, and timber. Research projects involve bibliographic work with the Bodleian Library, provenance studies linked to collections at the British Museum, and performance archaeology informed by practitioners from the Royal Shakespeare Company and academics publishing in journals such as Shakespeare Quarterly and Early Theatre. Conservation priorities reflect guidelines from ICOM and the Institute of Conservation, while digitisation partnerships with the Jisc and the European Research Council support online access to facsimiles and catalogues.

Category:Museums in London