Pop-up Globe

A replica of Shakespeare’s beloved Globe Theatre pops up in the centre of Melbourne.

THIS SUMMER YOU’LL be able to see Shakespeare’s plays in the environment they were created for: a round, 900-seat, three-storey venue, partially open to the sky, where no member of the audience is more than 15 metres from the stage. This small miracle comes courtesy of New Zealand-based venture Pop-up Globe, who have created an anatomically correct full-scale model of the Second Globe (the one built circa 1614, after the first one burned down) based on detailed research undertaken by Tim Fitzpatrick and Russell Emerson of the University of Sydney. The company opened their first season in August 2016 – and have sold more than 200,000 tickets so far across two seasons in Auckland. Four existing Pop-up Globe productions will feature in the Melbourne season, performed by an ensemble from Australia and beyond: As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Henry V. These will be performed in natural light, with unamplified sound, in period costume. “What it is really is a time machine,” says founder and artistic director, Dr Miles Gregory. “When you walk into Pop-up Globe you feel like you are stepping back in time 350 years, back to the south bank of the Thames. … I think everyone who attends this project will understand why Shakespeare is the greatest writer in the Western literary canon; they’ll understand the incredible excitement and magic of his shows, and they will have a transformative experience.” àthe Shakespeare Gardens, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Linlithgow Ave, Melbourne 3000. popupglobe.com.au. $15-$304.67. Sep 21-Nov 12.