Globe Theatre Trip

The UTs enjoyed a trip to The Globe theatre in London, last Tuesday, to learn about Elizabethan theatre and watch a performance of The Merchant of Venice. Here, Rose O’Donovan, shares her experience: “I woke up at the crack of dawn so that I could be ready for the 7am coach that would take us to The Globe theatre. The journey through the centre of London was long but everybody’s excitement for the day ahead kept our spirts high. When we finally arrived at The Globe we were greeted by our guide. She gave us a brief history of the theatre, but the UT historians already knew most of the knowledge she shared as we have been studying The Globe in our GCSE history course about the Elizabethan era. As we entered the actual theatre with our guide I was awestruck. The stage was beautifully decorated; the wooded columns painted to imitate marble were simply magnificent; there were three tiers of wooden seats, a thatched circular roof, and the centre of the theatre open to an usually blue sky.

After our tour had ended and we said goodbye to our guide we headed out for lunch. My group decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and have a picnic looking out onto the Millennium Bridge and spires of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. We returned to The Globe ready to watch The Merchant of Venice. We sat at the very top; although at first I felt dizzy, as soon as the play started I felt better. When I looked down at the “groundlings” (the audience standing around the stage) I felt like I had been transported to back to Elizabethan times. The play was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope to one day return to The Globe to watch another. Sadly, after the play was finished we had to leave; luckily the traffic on the way back wasn’t quite as bad. It was a great day and I feel that now that I have visited The Globe I am a lot more confident in my knowledge about it and am excited to learn even more.”