Witches, fairies, spirits and ghosts; not our selection of upcoming Halloween outfits, but the inhabitants of Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013.
The Bankside venue, which enjoyed a busy 2012 season that included both its normal programming and the multi-linguistic Globe To Globe festival as part of the London 2012 Festival, will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and Macbeth next summer.
The trio of Shakespearean productions that share a magical connection will play alongside world premieres of The Lightning Child, by The Frontline’s Che Walker, Blue Stockings, by Evening Standard Theatre Award nominee Jessica Swale and Samuel Adamson’s Gabriel, a ‘celebration of the transporting power of the trumpet’ featuring Classic BRIT Award winner Alison Balsom.
The 2013 summer will also feature three of the hits of the Globe To Globe season making their London returns. The South African Isango Ensemble brings Venus And Adonis to London, with Marjanishvili Theatre bringing As You Like It and Belarus Free Theatre returning with King Lear. Footsbarn also returns to the venue with its Indian Tempest.
The announcement comes as the final productions of the 2012 season, the acclaimed Mark Rylance-led Richard III and Twelfth Night, prepare to transfer to the Apollo theatre. The two shows, performed by a shared ensemble, were the icing on a successful Olympic cake of a 2012 season that sold more than 400,000 tickets and played to 95% capacity.
The Globe’s touring offering, which is nominated for a Theatre Award UK later this month, also returns next year, when Henry VI Pt 1, 2 and 3 will tour the UK and King Lear and The Taming Of The Shrew will travel further afield, each dropping into London on their journey.
In addition to a busy summer of productions next year, Shakespeare’s Globe is also aiming to open a weatherproof addition to its Southwark site. The indoor Jacobean theatre, which will be completed using original designs and craftsmanship of Shakespeare’s day, will be situated to the left of the theatre’s main foyer and will offer the chance to explore working in a second style of Jacobean playhouse.