Globe

These comments are the assistant director’s thoughts and ideas about the process of touring 'Romeo and Juliet'; they may change as this process progresses.

Notes from Shakespeare's Globe London ...

The camper van is our contemporary representation of the travelling wagon that the Chamberlain's Men would have toured in from village to village, town to town. Shakespeare's troupe would roll in, set up in an inn or courtyard and theatrical magic would spill out of the wagon. The camper van has the same effect for a modern audience - the appearance that travelling players have just pulled off the A40 ready to perform. (Of course setting up, striking and transporting the stage is much more cumbersome then that but the illusion holds.)

On tour the camper van re-creates the basic architecture of the Globe stage - centre double doors, an upper level and entrances and exits from either side. The stage floor is a thrust complete with pillars (that serve the double purpose of supporting lights that become increasingly important as the sun goes down) and an audience seated on three sides. We don't have standing groundlings or three galleries but the ethos of the Globe theatre is there.

For our opening performance at the Globe there was some debate as to whether or not we should use the camper van - if it represented the touring wagon why use it at home? Also if it served to duplicate the Globe architecture was it redundant putting it in the Globe space? This was mine and Elizabeth's [the director] thinking, but not having it then posed another question - would our contemporary costumes seem out of place standing alone in the ornate space? It seemed to me that, since the show's design is to slowly add Elizabethan elements over the course of a performance until we end with a period silhouette, beginning the show in modern dress (like our audience) and slowly travellling back in time to eventually match the space would be clear and acceptable for our audience.

It was Elizabeth's [the director] decision to make but she asked the company for their feedback, wondering if they had now become so accustomed to the van in such a short time that in loosing it would they would loose some connection to the production? There were mixed feelings but all in all everyone was happy to tackle the Globe stage alone. They wanted to use the Globe's doors, the Globe's balcony and welcomed the challenge.

Working without the van ment we would have to re-stage some sections of the show. Globe stage time is valuable, much sought after and therefore hard to come by, but eliminating the van meant that the three hours it would have taken to crane the van up, over and into the space could now be time spent not just rehearsing but acclimatizing to the new venue.

Globe productions usually incorporate a large cast, elaborate costume and in some cases elaborate set pieces - our production would be eight actors working to command a bare stage. You can imagine the pressure some of them felt. The company had just spent five days getting used to doing the show in an outdoor environment - transitioning to the Globe for opening was a daunting task, considering the magnitude of the space and the fact that the show, though it used the basic principles of the stage wasn't really created for it. The actors would have to adjust to many different venues over the course of the tour but this first adjustment was likely the greatest.

We spent the morning rehearsing entrances, exits and any bit of staging that would need to readjust. We were so tight for time that no official break was called and instead I ran out for tea, coffee and cake that was consumed and devoured whenever a spare moment presented itself.

Jan Haydn Rowles, the Globe's head of voice, came in to do a thourough vocal warm-up with the company. Placing some of them on stage while others went out into the audience so they could feel the space and distance they had to fill. It's an overwhelming big space that can have some actors feel the urge to shout but acoustically it works so well that's not necessary. It requires big thoughts and big energy and the company only had a limited amount of time to flesh that out.

There was enough time for a quick fight warm-up before the half-hour call and suddenly it was one o'clock and time for the matinee performance. The show went very smoothly - I think the cast were all exhausted from five long days in Haslemere but despite this they gave it their all.

As Juliet anxiously awaited Romeo's news from her nurse, regarding her pending marriage, a pigeon swooped down just as she said "she would be as swift in motion as a ball," and did two low flying circles of the auditorium to the point where groundlings had to duck as it flew overhead. They're certainly accustomed to the occasional bird upstaging at the Globe but by all accounts no one had ever seen such a display in the past.

After the matinee and a short break we all gathered on stage for notes. My advice for the future, as the tour began, was to always go back to the text. "Lines that are giving you trouble simply may be because you have learned the line slightly incorrectly. Go back to the text - Shakespeare will make your job easier." To help the cast with this I gave them all miniature pocket size versions of the script that they could keep with them at all times. The journey of exploration with Shakespeare is never done. Rehearsals may be over but the journey is just beginning.

After food, notes and a second wind the company tackle the evening performance. We were mesmerized. Elizabeth and I didn't take a single note, we simply watched as the story unfolded with great pace, energy and conviction - not only were they taking the stage they owned the stage. Globe audiences tend to be very engaged and supportive, there's something about the theatre that brings out the desire to participate in the event. Still there was no mistaking the reaction, sheer appreciation and pride for eight actors and a bare stage - a true Globe show indeed.

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