One of the places that is most associated with Shakespeare is Shakespeare's Globe. Perhaps one of the most iconic theaters in the world, Shakespeare's Globe is located in London, England. To this day, plays (both Shakespeare's and others) are performed and they are constantly running. Although this is the third Globe Theatre, the experience is much the same as it was in Shakespeare's day with the open-air ceiling and the "groundling experience".
When we went to London, one of the top things on our to do list was to visit the Globe. It's just what happens when you travel with 3 musical theatre majors. We ended up taking a tour (shout out to student discounts!) and were informed that since actors were rehearsing for that night's play, we couldn't take pictures, but we could watch some of the rehearsal. We thought it was a decent trade off, but even from the 25 minute bit of the rehearsal we saw, we knew we had to come back and see the play, called Boudica.
When we went to buy tickets, we were pleasantly surprised by how cheap they were- 5 pounds to stand with the "groundlings", 20 pounds to sit in the first row, and no one in our group purchased a more expensive ticket, though they were available. Myself and 3 others purchased the "groundling" tickets, which enabled us to stand by the stage. My roommate almost got hit with a sword. It was amazing and drew the audience into the action in a way that I have never experienced before.
Boudica was a recently-written production that had never been performed elsewhere before, and it was brilliant. Boudica tells the story of a female general who resisted the Roman invasion of Britain, and one of the most interesting aspects of the play (at least for theatre nerds) was that the British Isles' troops spoke in Iambic pentameter, while the Roman troops spoke with no meter. Apart from the meter, the show itself was absolutely incredible- well written, engaging, funny, heart-wrenching, and everything you think good theatre should be.
If you are ever in London, do yourself a favor and see Shakespeare's Globe, even if you don't go see a show. If you do end up seeing a show, be sure to get an authentic experience with the groundling tickets, and try not to get hit with a sword!
