Discovery Space
The Globe
Many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed at the Globe.
Find out what happened to the first Globe, when and where it was built and what plays were put on there in this Globe fact sheet.
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is world famous. We know quite a lot about him but there is still much that remains a mystery.
Learn when and where Shakespeare was born, and about more his life in this William Shakespeare fact sheet.
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The Third Globe
The current Shakespeare’s Globe in London opened in 1997, near to the site of the original Globe theatre .
Learn about when and how the current Globe was built and more in this Globe fact sheet.
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Audiences
By 1600 several theatres offered plays most afternoons, with between 10,000 and 20,000 people a week going to London theatres.
Find out about the people who went to the theatre, how much they paid and more with this Audiences fact sheet.
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London
London was the biggest and richest city in England and was the home of the first permanent playhouses.
Find out what the city was like and it's major landmarks in this London fact sheet.
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Playhouses
There were two different types of playhouse in London during Shakespeare’s time, outdoor and indoor playhouses.
Discover more about these very different theatres and the audiences they attracted in this Playhouses fact sheet.
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Special Effects
Playwrights in Shakespeare’s time used language to describe ‘special effects’ much of the time; but acting companies could also produce very dramatic special effects.
Discover how the Globe uses special effects, trap doors and more in this Fact Sheet.
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Writing Plays
Going to the theatre was a popular pastime in Shakespeare's day. Just about everyone in London went to the theatre, but what did they go and see?
Learn about the people who wrote plays and what they were about in this Writing Plays fact sheet.
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Actors
The life of an actor changed dramatically during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
Click view to learn about the people who became actors, what an average day was like and more.
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