Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Exhibition & Tour

The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Exhibition and Tour is a great way to see the theatre when there's not a performance on, and to find out more about the history of the theatre, the area, and Shakespeare himself. We have the American actor Sam Wanamaker to thank for being the driving force that made this happen.

I visited when I had a one day London Pass.
(Find out more about the London Pass.)

The Globe Theatre is close to the original site where you can now see a marker line to show its location.

Shakespeare's Globe is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599 and you can see Shakespeare plays performed here throughout the summer months. The reconstruction opened in 1997 and holds lectures and theatre workshops, enjoys a vast education program, as well as performances and the exhibition and theatre tour.

The exhibition and tour is available all year round. You can walk around the exhibition unguided but must join a guided tour to see the theatre which you can arrange at the front desk when you arrive.

I allowed half an hour to see the exhibition which was about right. You could easily spend longer but I was excited about the theatre tour so didn't want to wait for a later one.

The exhibition includes information about the local area and how that relates to Shakespeare and his plays and theatres. There are costumes used in productions here and models showing the construction methods used in this stunning building. The exhibition seemed to appeal to all ages as there were many family groups when I visited.

The theatre tour is led by a knowledgeable guide who leads you through to different areas of the theatre so you can stand at the bottom, and sit at many different levels which really gives you an idea what it might be like to see a play here.

The Guides can answer questions and we all laughed at the Shakespeare myths that Hollywood films can perpetuate.

At the end of our tour the whole group checked out the shop and many went to book tickets for a play. I think the exhibition and tour are highly educational but also fascinating and certainly made me want to see a production here soon.

You can book tickets at the VisitBritain Shop (Buy Direct).