Introduction
Since I read Romeo and Juliet in my eighth-grade English class, I have been a Shakespeare fan. My love has continued to grow in college, so much so that I want to write an honors thesis about Shakespeare. I attribute my current knowledge and passion for Shakespeare to a class I took during my first year at WashU. I have referenced this class in a past blog post because it was where I met my friend Meris. A huge reason that I applied for the class was because it included three weeks in London, where we studied at The Globe Theatre. The Globe was first opened in 1599, and where Shakespeare’s company performed many of his plays. During a performance of Henry VIII, the theatre was completely burned down (thanks to the misfiring of a prop canon – yes, really). The current Globe Theatre opened in 1997, and it is a pretty true replica of what we believe the original looked like. I consider myself truly lucky because I have not only been an audience member but also an actor in The Globe Theatre. During our time studying, we put on a midnight performance of a scene (I played Miranda from The Tempest). It was a truly surreal experience acting on that stage, and I still do not think I have the proper words to describe my experience. However, I do have the words to describe the shows I have seen there. Today, I want to share with you what I have learned from the five plays I have seen on the Globe Theatre stage.
The Comedy of Errors
When I tell people that I love Shakespeare, a typical response is, “Why? His writing is so hard to understand!”. And hey, I totally get it. It took me about a couple of months to get the hang of his writing, and even now and again, I mess up. During my time studying at the Globe Theatre, we had to read The Comedy of Errors, which follows the story of two sets of twins who were separated at birth. For the life of me, I just could not understand it. I hated it. It was such a chore to read, and if I did not have to read it for my class, I would have given up halfway through. Part of our program included going to three plays at The Globe Theatre, and The Comedy of Errors was one of those shows. After reading the play, I was not excited walking in. However, that apprehension soon turned to excitement and enjoyment. What once did not make sense on paper made absolutely sense on stage! The Comedy of Errors taught me that (especially as an English major) I tend to forget that Shakespeare was a playwright, not an author. We can become so focused on dissecting every motif or play on words that we forget that Shakespeare’s plays were written to be appreciated. And what better place to become truly transported into Shakespeare’s work than than on that stage! There is so much to be gained by seeing Shakespeare acted out by people who love him. You appreciate his master of words better because you are hearing them out loud. You feel the emotions of the characters deeper than just reading words on a page. You feel the energy from the actors and the audience coming together to form something truly special. My dislike of this play was a complete error because once I was in the way that Shakespeare intended, I was laughing the entire two hours!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Fun fact: Meris and I played love interests in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Meris and I still joke about it because we had absolutely no romantic tension. However, this scene led to our strong friendship, so you win and lose some. So, you can imagine that our entire class was excited to see some real emotion in the Globe Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an incredibly complicated play, and it is difficult to summarize in a few short sentences. I will say it includes lots of magic, mischief, and marriages. As someone who has been to numerous theatre productions (check out my past blog post about the lessons I have learned from musical theatre), I am no stranger to the magic of theatre. Something special about this production was the amount of time many actors spent in the audience. A Midsummer Night’s Dream taught me that simple, personal connections between actors and audience members can change the entire performance. During the ending scene, one of the actors spent a large majority of his time standing next to my classmates and me. He directly interacted with all of us, and it felt like we were included in the hijinx happening on stage. When I reflect back on my experience at the Globe Theatre, this scene is the most clear to me. This is probably because memories that are attached to an emotion are more likely to be remembered in more detail and for longer periods of time. Just this little interaction made the entire production more memorable. This is what Shakespeare designed the Globe Theatre experience to be like. Because audience members are so close to the stage, it fosters a unique relationship between the audience and actors that is not present in other traditional theaters. This connection is vital to the Globe Theatre experience and I think that it is something that we should incorporate into other theaters around the world.
Macbeth
To anyone interested in seeing a show at the Globe Theatre, my best tip is to check the weather. Seriously. I say this because the Globe Theatre puts on a performance rain or shine. So, you might show up to, let’s say, a production of Macbeth on July 23, 2023, and it will rain the entire two hours and thirty minutes! Oh, and it is an open-air theatre, so you will be soaking wet at the end! However, I was still better off than many of the characters in Macbeth. Macbeth tells the story of Macbeth, who is told at the beginning that he will be king, and he sets out to take fate into his own hands. While there are many lessons in Macbeth, I want to focus on the experience I had at the Globe Theatre. Macbeth taught me the importance of finding joy in the rain. Negativity bias is the ability to pay more attention to negative information or experiences. Like many things, it was an evolutionary mechanism because negative events (like starving because you don’t have enough food or being attacked by a wild animal) were more important for survival. Humans are hardwired for negativity, but that does not mean that we cannot change it. I believe it is our attempt to outrun our biology is exactly what makes us human. I could have focused on the fact that I was wet, cold, and tired. I could have complained. I could have left. But I would have missed out on the amazing show that was happening right in front of me. It is up to us to be strong enough to find positivity in our everyday lives, even when things are hard. We need to learn to stand in the rain and enjoy the show.
Antony and Cleopatra
My mom and dad have always supported my passion for Shakespeare. My mom and I go to St. Louis’ Shakespeare in the Park every summer. My dad always listens to me, even when he asks a simple question about Shakespeare, and it turns into a 20-minute TED Talk. This support also translated to letting me drag both of them to a production of Antony and Cleopatra at the Globe Theatre during one of the few days we shared together in London before my study abroad. Antony and Cleopatra follows the love story between the Roman general and Egyptian queen and their ultimate deaths in the name of love. I love this play, and the Globe Theatre’s rendition of it made me love it even more! This production was bilingual, with the Roman characters speaking in English and the Egyptian characters utilizing British Sign Language (BSL). Antony and Cleopatra taught me the importance of making Shakespeare accessible to everyone. You should not have to be proficient in English to love Shakespeare. There are so many universal themes in Shakespeare that translate across borders, both literally and metaphorically. Shakespeare himself utilized multiple languages in his plays, like in Catherine of Valois in Henry V, who only speaks French on stage. In fact, I think utilizing different languages gives the audience a deeper understanding of certain plays. The English and BSL worked together to highlight the cultural differences between the titular characters, which ultimately led to their downfall. It gives a depth to the play that is missing if it was only done in English. I am so glad that my parents trusted my recommendation to see this production because it is a production I will continue to think about for the rest of my life.
The Taming of the Shrew
Remember, this is coming from someone who loves Shakespeare. I hate The Taming of the Shrew. This play makes me so angry, and it honestly broke my heart reading it. The Taming of the Shrew is about Katharina, a firey and strong woman who is courted by Petruchio. Petruchio spends the entire play manipulating, gaslighting, and abusing Katharina until she finally gives up and submits to him. You might be asking yourself right now, “Avery, you said that you hate this play, and yet you went to see it?”. I wanted to see it because I wanted to see how the Globe Theatre interpreted the play. It can be so easy for directors and actors to depict Petruchio’s abuse as funny or endearing, but the Globe Theatre portrayed it in a brutally honest light. So much so that it made me very uncomfortable as a spectator. It was not just me that was feeling this way either. However, I did not expect the number of audience members (especially women) who laughed when Petruchio tormented Katarina. It was not the kind of laughter that I have experienced at other shows like The Comedy of Errors. It was a type of anxious laugh. Research shows that humans laugh at things that make them uncomfortable as a way of dealing with negative emotions. Laughter releases happy chemicals, so laughing at Petruchio’s abuse could be seen as attempting to achieve a type of emotional homeostasis. It is a defense mechanism. This laughter was an attempt to get rid of uncomfortable emotions. The Taming of the Shrew taught me the importance of being uncomfortable. Those negative emotions are a good thing because they encourage us to do something. So instead of laughing along, we do something about it.
Conclusion
There is something truly magical about the Globe Theatre. I will never forget my first time stepping foot in the Globe Theatre because the magic is palpable in the air. It is one of my favorite theaters in London, and you will never experience Shakespeare in a better place than the Globe Theatre. My visits to the Globe Theatre have positively changed my life in so many ways. It has given me life-long friends and mentors. It has given me many unforgettable memories. It has given me so many life lessons. Isn’t that the point of theatre? To teach you in a safe environment? I believe that it is and I argue that Shakespeare does too. Even if you are not as passionate about Shakespeare as I am, I still recommend that you check out the Globe Theatre. It will be an experience that you will never forget. And who knows, you might learn a new lesson while you watch a fabulous production!
I would also like to take a moment to say thank you to the professors of the All the World’s a Stage class and those who supported our trip to London. You all have made such a large impact on both my personal and professional life, and for that, I am eternally grateful to you all. As Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night, “I can no answer make but thanks, / And thanks, and ever thanks”.
Bibliography
The Comedy of Errors – book | play
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – book | play
The Coneflower Chronicles 
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