Located at 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego, CA 92101
In 1935, the California Pacific International Exposition was held in Balboa Park in hopes of recovering from the Great Depression and to help San Diego's economy.
As part of the Expo, the Old Globe Theatre was originally built to present abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays. The shape of the theatre was modeled
after Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London from the early 1600s. The wood and construction materials of the Globe were actually taken from a previous theatre across the River Thames where the landlord planned to cancel the lease and tear the building down.
The Globe could house 3,000 spectators and performed many of Shakespeare's plays including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth.
One fateful performance of Henry VIII in June of 1613 involved a cannon firing gunpowder with wadding at the end of Act I to announce the arrival of the king. A piece of wadding set fire to the thatched roof of the Globe and the structure burned to the ground within one hour.
In 1978, the same fate befell the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. This one, however, was intentional and caused by an arsonist. It was only two months after the Air & Space Museum was also burned by arson. Both were considered three alarm fires. To learn more about three, four, or five alarm fires,
search for and watch the San Diego Review on the Firehouse Museum after this one.
As with the Globe Theatre, the Old Globe was rebuilt and even has two additional theatre venues where shows can be performed. One is a theatre in the round, and the other is an outdoor stage used during the summer.
The Old Globe Theatre opens its doors to a behind the scenes tour of how productions are created and what it takes to support the actors performing on stage.
In the center of the lobby is a bust of Craig Noel dedicated to him on his 90th birthday. He became the general director of the Old Globe early on, personally directing over 200 works, and producing over 270 more.
He led the theatre for seven decades and earned the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States.
Also displayed in the lobby is a Tony Award earned by the Old Globe for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
One wall has a collection of photos displaying all the work done to create shows at the Old Globe. From props, technical support, and rigging, to the costume designers, woodwork, and sound engineering, a combination of skills are needed to support the actors and everything that goes on within the theatre.
The Old Globe Theatre seats 580 people and has what is a called a proscenium stage. This means a picture frame or arch surrounds the stage, allowing for props and scenery to be hidden from the audience.
The proscenium type of stage allows the audience to have a good view of the actors, who primarily perform in front of the arch on a raised platform called the apron. Scenery that is added behind the arch or picture frame creates a sense of depth for the audience.
A thrust type stage has the audience sitting on three sides of the performers, and creates a strong sense of immersion in the performance. Actors have flexibility in their movement up and down the stage, but careful consideration needs to be taken so that props or scenery do not block the view of the audience.
An arena or theatre in the round is the configuration of the Old Globe's second indoor stage as we'll see later. It creates immediacy and intimacy for the audience sitting around the actors, and has no places to hide props, scenery, or performers from the audience.
A black box theatre is normally a simple setup with black walls and a flat floor. It focuses more on the human element of acting and less on the technical elements of production. Seating arrangement often resembles a thrust stage or arena setup.
An open air stage is the configuration for the Old Globe's third venue. The audience benefits from seeing the natural beauty of the surrounding area, but must contend with the weather and noise such as planes or helicopters flying overhead.
The second floor balcony surrounds the orchestra level and the catwalk above the ceiling allows for lighting or speakers to be set up for each stage production. The area in front of the first row can be used as the orchestra pit.
To coordinate the performers with the orchestra, monitors are mounted on the balcony which display the cues from the conductor. This allows the actors to keep their sight directed at the audience while synchronizing their performance with the music.
The stage itself is a revolving stage set on upside down casters. It allows for quicker scenery changes and keeps the attention of the audience involved in the story rather than concentrated on the time it takes to change backgrounds.
There is a small diorama backstage that shows a revolving setup of the Old Globe's Festival Theatre outside. We can see how it transports the audience from the exterior of the house to the interior and back again
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