Children, for instance, participate in makeup and costume demonstrations given by theater artists. Visiting scholars are able to view a massive collection of videotaped and filmed performances. Inside the Globe, everything is historically accurate. From massive oak beams and supports joined by wooden nails to the use of natural light and wooden seats with no backs, the theater attempts to present an authentic Elizabethan performance. The work is serious and competent, but the audience experience is decidedly informal.
Patrons are welcome to come and go as they please and to eat delicious ice cream or sandwiches.
The exhibition at the Globe features an archaeological timeline that takes visitors through the theater and culture of Shakespeare's time. It also chronicles the many obstacles overcome by American actor Sam Wanamaker, whose dream it was to see the Globe built. However, he became an international cultural hero for championing the building of Shakespeare's Globe. For the aficionado, there are recordings of famous speeches that allow the hearer to compare Richard Burton to Kenneth Branagh or John Gielgud. Dazed and exhausted after our whirlwind week, my wife and I realized that London city officials got it right when they gave the theater district its Disneyish designation.