A “touching and joyously inventive” A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Daily Telegraph, 4 stars) brightens up the typically sporadic British summer with its tales of lust, confusion and clog dancing fairies.

Building work continues apace and excitement mounts with every further development in the completion of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.  There are only fifty seats left to be named so do get in touch if you would like to play your part in the creation of our beautiful new theatre.

On 14 July we will embark on the first of our Henry VI battlefield performances in Towton, Yorkshire. All three plays will be performed on the sites of the actual battles mentioned in the plays, making these site-specific performances a unique and moving experience. 

Already on tour, The Taming of the Shrew has been widely praised by audiences around the country. Due to popular demand, more dates continue to be added, mostly recently: Tring and Whitstable and a brief stop for a Midnight Matinee at the Globe. 

Globe Education presents a different way to experience Shakespeare and his contemporaries in Shakespeare On Fire! with Festival of the Spoken Nerd and Read Not Dead performances at festivals this summer.

With all this, don’t forget our new writes this season starting  with Gabriel, starring Alison Balsom one of the world’s leading trumpet players.

"It is the stars,
The stars above us, govern our conditions." 
King Lear, Act 4, Scene 3.

Last chance to name a seat

There are only 50 seats left to be named in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. A seat makes an unforgettable gift or a thoughtful way of remembering someone who loved Shakespeare’s Globe and theatre. Naming a Seat costs £3,000 and payments can be spread over 1-5 years.

Henry VI battlefield performances

All Henry VI battlefield locations are now confirmed and rehearsals are well under way. Click here for images. The first battlefield performance will take place in Towton, Yorkshire on 14 July. Make a day of it and bring a picnic, peruse the food stalls and enjoy the local pubs and walks between shows.

Read Not Dead at summer festivals

Read Not Dead, our fast paced ‘script in hand’ theatrical experiences will be on the road again this summer. This year we take two John Lyly plays to Glastonbury Festival in June, and Wilderness Festival in August. You will even be able to watch the rehearsals. 

Festival of the Spoken Nerd

The ‘exponentially entertaining, unashamedly geeky and fearlessly inquisitive' Festival of the Spoken Nerd returns to the Globe with Shakespeare On Fire! Marking the 400th anniversary of the Globe burning down this unique evening combines, science, comedy and Shakespeare.

Gabriel with Alison Balsom

Award-winning playwright Samuel Adamson teams up with Alison Balsom, one of the world’s finest trumpet players, in this glorious pageant of the Baroque period. Gabriel presents a teeming world of intersecting narratives bringing together both real and imagined characters to the Globe stage. Featuring the music of Purcell and Handel.

From the blog

We continue to celebrate Shakespeare in film with our Globe On Screen productions and Howard on Shakespeare: Stage and Screen lecture series. We were delighted when director Joss Whedon (Much Ado About Nothing) and actors Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker visited the Globe. See our video interview with them on the blog.

Bank On It

Beyond Barbican: The Rose Lipman Building, Hackney
22 June – 14 July

Discover the secrets of a weird and wonderful bank in this memorable outing for children aged 5+ as they walk through a magical realm with a little help from some unexpected characters and puppeteers along the way.

Autism-Friendly Screenings of All Stars

Picturehouse Cinemas across London
10.30 am Sunday 23 June (11am at The Gate) 
Monthly film screenings especially for people on the autism spectrum and their families, friends & carers. During the film low lights are left on and volume is reduced.Customers may move around, make noise or take a break.