Groundlings at the Globe

William Shakespeare is England’s most famous, and arguably the most influential, dramatist. References to his plays are found everywhere in pop culture, and adaptations of his work are consistently done in schools, theatres, and movie sets around the world. As a theatre history student in London, Shakespeare is a topic widely covered in my class.

One of the performances included in my curriculum was Henry VIII at the Globe Theatre. Even though the modern building was constructed in the 1970’s, the sentiment of stepping back in time is still present (and thrilling). I was already excited to see a Shakespeare production in the replica of such a historic building, even though Henry VIII is not one of his most popular works. In class on the day of the performance, we learned that we would be attending the show as groundlings in the yard, meaning we would be standing for the entirety of the performance.

My classmates did not take this news well. I was apprehensive but nonetheless still optimistic about the experience. We were encouraged to arrive at the theatre about an hour before the doors opened in order to secure a spot at the front of the yard, near the stage. We did as our professor advised (not without some grumbling), and found that as long as we didn’t mind sitting on the sidewalk, the wait wasn’t too bad. We waited at the groundling entrance outside the building for about 45 minutes before we were allowed to check our bags, scan our tickets, and wait by the door to the theatre. Once the doors opened, my class and I made our way to the stage, where we sat and leaned against it until the show started.

The show itself was absolutely stunning. The costumes were done with a mix of medieval and modern fashion, and the set was covered in gold. There was an unexpected amount of music and singing throughout the show, but the songs helped the audience understand the story better. The acting was, of course, incredible, particularly Jamie Ballard (Cardinal Wolsey) and Bea Segura (Queen Katharine). Their intense emotional performances left me in awe with tears in my eyes.

Standing for an estimated three hour performance did seem daunting at first, but being up close to the action and leaning against the stage for support definitely helped. The actors did interact with the audience regularly throughout the show, which probably helped those with shorter attention spans stay engaged. The crowd was also fairly small, so we could shift our weight and move around easily. Being a groundling at the Globe is an experience I can’t recommend enough. Compared to those above in the seats, I got an entirely different (and perhaps much more enjoyable) viewing experience, mostly due to the actors’ interaction with the audience. If you aren’t a Shakespeare aficionado, I would recommend seeing a more well-known show during the week to avoid crowds. If standing for an entire performance isn’t as easy for you, many people came to the evening show during intermission, having already seen the first act during the matinee. It is an extra £5, but dedicating most of the day to Shakespeare seems worth it (maybe just to me)!